buckeye
2008-08-26 10:39:45 UTC
Justice Scalia on American Civil Religion
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Posted by Jonathan Rowe at 9:49 AM
http://americancreation.blogspot.com/search/label/Church%2FState%20Separation
[excerpt]
He well understands the concept until he gets to the Ten Commandments.
Justice Scalia, in his dissent in MCCREARY
http://wid.ap.org/scotus/pdf/03-1693P.ZD.pdf
implies that "monotheism" has some type of constitutional privilege over
non-monotheistic religions, at least in the context of government
endorsement of monotheistic, over non-monotheistic religions. In that
opinion he writes:
Besides appealing to the demonstrably false principle that the
government cannot favor religion over irreligion, today's opinion suggests
that the posting of the Ten Commandments violates the principle that the
government cannot favor one religion over another....That is indeed a valid
principle where public aid or assistance to religion is concerned...or
where the free exercise of religion is at issue...but it necessarily
applies in a more limited sense to public acknowledgment of the Creator.
If religion in the public forum had to be entirely nondenominational,
there could be no religion in the public forum at all. One cannot say the
word "God," or "the Almighty," one cannot offer public supplication or
thanksgiving, without contradicting the beliefs of some people that there
are many gods, or that God or the gods pay no attention to human affairs.
With respect to public acknowledgment of religious belief, it is entirely
clear from our Nation's historical practices that the Establishment Clause
permits this disregard of polytheists and believers in unconcerned deities,
just as it permits the disregard of devout atheists. The Thanksgiving
Proclamation issued by George Washington at the instance of the First
Congress was scrupulously nondenominational, but it was monotheistic.
[end excerpt]
***************************************************************
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Historical Reality SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
***************************************************************
. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
. . .
****************************************************************
USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
*****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
****************************************************************
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Posted by Jonathan Rowe at 9:49 AM
http://americancreation.blogspot.com/search/label/Church%2FState%20Separation
[excerpt]
He well understands the concept until he gets to the Ten Commandments.
Justice Scalia, in his dissent in MCCREARY
http://wid.ap.org/scotus/pdf/03-1693P.ZD.pdf
implies that "monotheism" has some type of constitutional privilege over
non-monotheistic religions, at least in the context of government
endorsement of monotheistic, over non-monotheistic religions. In that
opinion he writes:
Besides appealing to the demonstrably false principle that the
government cannot favor religion over irreligion, today's opinion suggests
that the posting of the Ten Commandments violates the principle that the
government cannot favor one religion over another....That is indeed a valid
principle where public aid or assistance to religion is concerned...or
where the free exercise of religion is at issue...but it necessarily
applies in a more limited sense to public acknowledgment of the Creator.
If religion in the public forum had to be entirely nondenominational,
there could be no religion in the public forum at all. One cannot say the
word "God," or "the Almighty," one cannot offer public supplication or
thanksgiving, without contradicting the beliefs of some people that there
are many gods, or that God or the gods pay no attention to human affairs.
With respect to public acknowledgment of religious belief, it is entirely
clear from our Nation's historical practices that the Establishment Clause
permits this disregard of polytheists and believers in unconcerned deities,
just as it permits the disregard of devout atheists. The Thanksgiving
Proclamation issued by George Washington at the instance of the First
Congress was scrupulously nondenominational, but it was monotheistic.
[end excerpt]
***************************************************************
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Historical Reality SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
***************************************************************
. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
. . .
****************************************************************
USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
*****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
****************************************************************