You have to ask yourself: are they really this ignorant, or do they intend to mislead people?
Newsbusters points to a column by John Mashek in U.S. News where he says
Biden, like 14 other Democrats in the Senate, is both pro-choice and Catholic. So the bishop decreed that the party's vice presidential candidate was not welcome at the communion rail. These Senate Democrats and many other Catholics—including this writer—do not necessarily favor abortion, but we do not feel our religious views should be foisted on others in a nation where church and state are divided.
. . .
That division of church and state has application here. No priest, minister, or rabbi should be telling the flock how to vote or for whom. Some do, and they are wrong.
Do what?
I don't think I could say it any better than the folks at Newsbusters, so here it is:
Let's make this as simple as possible for Mr. Mashek: the First Amendment prohibits the government from establishing a state religion. It does not prohibit people, including bishops, from practicing theirs. To the contrary, it forbids the government from passing laws that would prohibit that bishop from the free exercise of his religion.
The bishop has every right under the Constitution to deny communion to anyone he pleases. For that matter, like any other citizen, he has every right to encourage others to vote in a certain manner. Doing so from the pulpit could theoretically jeopardize his church's tax exemption, but both as a matter of the freedom of speech and the free exercise of religion, a bishop is free to express his political opinion to his parishioners.
There simply is no constitutional restriction on religious people of any kind--including pastors--from speaking about moral truth or politicians who refuse to follow moral truth.
There is only a 1954 tax code amendment added by Senator Lyndon B. Johnson to silence his political enemies--which itself violates the Constitution.
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is launching Pulput Freedom Sunday next Sunday September 28 to begin taking back this freedom.
It's time we took the muzzle off America's pastors...and time journalists got a clue about the Constitution and religious freedom.
12 comments:
National journalists (and libs in general) are notoriously ignorant of both the first and second amendments. They can see contitutional protections for pornagraphers and pedophiles but cannot see how it is unconstitutional to restrict what is said from the pulpit. The tax-exempt staus of churches should not be contingent on political speech, or lack thereof. The power to tax is the power to control. Government should have no such power over churches.
When Billary, "Chuck-you" Shumer, Dick Turban, Obamessiah and other libs speak before church congregations (almost always predominantly black in case you haven't noticed) the issue of "separation of church and state" is never broached by the MSM. But when Gov. Palin mentions that she prays for our troops, why, we are only an executive order away from a stern repressive government-imposed theocracy.
The bad thing about post like this is there's nothing to add.
Good Post!
For what it's worth, I personally find it terrifying when politicians like Bush and Sarah Palin say that our play-it-by-ear occupation of Iraq is a "mission from God." I'd sleep more soundly if our national leaders didn't use the same logic as the zealots who are trying to kill us. Besides, if both sides are praying to the same God, it sort of puts the poor guy between a rock and a hard place.
If Palin has a direct link to the plans of the Almighty, is it too much to ask that she let us all in on what exactly that plan actually is?
It's not play-it-by-ear or 'mission from God" - So sleep sound baby Alex.
This is what they are praying for - 'Guide my actions so we may do what is right, according to God's will.' / Not I don't know what to do god, give me some ideas!! OR I'll pray t' god so this war will be approved by thu almighty.
We pray for peace with litle or NO death. They are praying let's kill the infidels even if we have to blow ourselves up doing it!
Do you get it?! Can YOU see a difference?! Palin and Bush aren't scary because they don't want anyone to die and they understand people will always disagree with them.
Obama's a different story because he doesn't see anything wrong with MAKING people CHANGE their minds and he can't handle opposition!
"It's not play-it-by-ear or 'mission from God.'"
Have you read this?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080903/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_palin_iraq_war
"ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told ministry students at her former church that the United States sent troops to fight in the Iraq war on a 'task that is from God.'"
I guess we could split hairs over whether "task" is the same thing as "mission," but I think I've thoroughly proven you wrong.
And as for "praying to God so that this war will be approved by the Almighty," wouldn't God's approval of the war in effect MAKE the it his plan? Do you actually think one of the goals of prayer is to change God's mind?
Do you get it??1!!1!
The war on Iraq is being fought for protection, freeing women and children, establishing liberty. Protecting yourself and helping your neighbor are TASKS God approves of in His Word, the Bible. This doesn't imply Sarah is mandating God's will. She is just aware that God has more to do with events in our lives than people like you do!
I was illustrating your ignorance with the statement 'I'll pray t' god so this war will be approved by thu almighty.' God already knows what will happen; telling him what to do would lack humility.
You don't want to learn or listen to what Sarah Palin is saying. So don't pretend it means anything to you!
The war is being fought for protection? From what? Low gas prices? Muslim zealots who don't already have enough reasons to kill us? How does invading a sovereign nation, killing its civilians, and destroying its already tenuous infrastructure qualify as helping one's neighbor?
Did you forget about that little thing called the invasion of our ally Kuwait? Or that little thing called the Persian Gulf War? Or the intervening defiance by Saddam of 17 UN resolutions? Or the hundreds of times Iraq fired on U.S. and British warplanes while those resolutions were being ignored? Or Saddam's unwillingness to verify that he'd destroyed his weapons--as he agreed to do at the end of the aforementioned Persian Gulf War? Or his collusion with terrorists?
You really should read this and get caught up.
Right, because all of the 19 hijackers came from Iraq? Mmhmm.
Getting back to my point, it disturbs me that a political leader would say that our mission "came from God," when our enemies are thinking the same thing. We're all praying to the same God, so if we lose, it means God favors the terrorists. But that would contradict the Bible! Confusing, isn't it? Maybe it's best to leave God out of the discussion altogether.
Take my invitation, Alex, and educate yourself on Iraq, if you dare; it'll do you good.
While you're at it, educate yourself on Islam. We are definitely not praying to the same god as Muslims. Examine the attributes of Allah, compare them to Jehovah, and you'll see that they are two completely different persons--and it shows in the religion of each. One is about death and suffering, while the other is about life and wholeness.
When the universe was created by God and he is involved in everything about it--including it's future--leaving God out is not an option for the cognizant.
Have you ever compared the God of the Old Testamant to that of the New? One is about death and suffering, while the other is about life and wholeness.
"Allah" is simply the Arabic word for the person we English-speakers call "God." Even Christians living in the Middle East use the word "Allah."
Alex, you really should read the Psalms--among many other books in the Old Testament--and see how God's love and mercy are spoken about. And the clear path God laid out for life and wholeness in the Pentateuch, and that our merciful God gave us a choice about in Deuteronomy 30:19. And the advice for life and wholeness laid out in the wisdom books such as Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.
You've been listening to too much homosexual propaganda on shellfish to have gained a good understanding of the loving God that is unchanged from Old Testament to New Testament.
As I said, compare the attributes of the Islamic god Allah to Jehovah: two completely different people.
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