Submitted by Jerry Prather on Wed, 04/28/2010 - 00:20
There has been ever increasing attacks on the Free expression of one’s religious preferences in the last several years. All these attacks and court challenges have come about from people saying that “Religious Symbols, Holidays, and Ceremonies” are offensive to them and un-constitutional. The vast majority of these complaints are filed through the ACLU by Atheist
that comprise .4% of the U.S. Population. They challenge that any Christian Symbols or Biblical Quotes displayed on government property are illegal under the Constitution. The Constitution does NOT address this contention. Below is what the Constitution says in regard to religion:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
The First Amendment to the Constitution does not prohibit or address the display of religious symbols, the celebration of religious holidays, or any other peaceful expression of religious beliefs on government owned property. The buildings in Washington D C are full of religious symbols and quotes right down to the doors entering the U S Supreme Court on which are engraved the Ten Commandments that God passed down to Moses. Even the Koran speaks of these laws but in the Koran Moses’ name was Musra. Our Pledge of Allegiance says “One Nation Under God” and “In God We Trust” is on our money so why is God so offensive? But now under the current administration, to be politically correct and appease the few, we have a Winter Holiday and a Spring Holiday not Christmas and Easter. Why was the White House Christmas Tree this past year not called a Christmas Tree but a Holiday Tree and was adorned with ornaments depicting Mao Zedung and a transvestite.
Below is a chart of the twenty top religions in the United States and athesitisum is number 7 and Islam is number 4.. I have not heard of any of the other religious groups complaining about the celebration of Christmas, Easter, Passover, Hanukah, or any other religious holiday that has heretofore been recognized by the vast majority of the citizens of this country. They simply do not observe them and celebrate their own holidays which is their right.
Even though our Founding Fathers were Christian, and there are references to this in all of our founding documents, they understood what Freedom of Religion was all about having lived under a State Sponsored Religion before. That is why they, to paraphrase, put in the Bill of Rights there would be no State Sponsored Religion and that all Americans would have the Freedom to worship or not worship as they pleased. No where in the Constitution or Bill of Rights does it say anyone has Freedom from seeing or being exposed to religious symbols
or quotes. In fact the majority of our criminal laws come from Judeo/Christian law.
Top Twenty Religions in the United States, 2001
(self-identification, ARIS)
(self-identification, ARIS)
Religion
|
1990 Est.
Adult Pop. |
2001 Est.
ADULT Pop. |
% of U.S. Pop.,
2000 |
% Change
1990 - 2000 |
|
|
Christianity
|
151,225,000
|
159,030,000
|
224,437,959
|
76.5%
|
+5%
|
|
Nonreligious/Secular
|
13,116,000
|
27,539,000
|
38,865,604
|
13.2%
|
+110%
|
|
Judaism
|
3,137,000
|
2,831,000
|
3,995,371
|
1.3%
|
-10%
|
|
Islam
|
527,000
|
1,104,000
|
1,558,068
|
0.5%
|
+109%
|
|
Buddhism
|
401,000
|
1,082,000
|
1,527,019
|
0.5%
|
+170%
|
|
Agnostic
|
1,186,000
|
991,000
|
1,398,592
|
0.5%
|
-16%
|
|
Atheist
|
902,000
|
1,272,986
|
0.4%
|
||
|
Hinduism
|
227,000
|
766,000
|
1,081,051
|
0.4%
|
+237%
|
|
Unitarian Universalist
|
502,000
|
629,000
|
887,703
|
0.3%
|
+25%
|
|
Wiccan/Pagan/Druid
|
307,000
|
433,267
|
0.1%
|
||
|
Spiritualist
|
116,000
|
163,710
|
0.05%
|
||
|
|
47,000
|
103,000
|
145,363
|
0.05%
|
+119%
|
|
Baha'i
|
28,000
|
84,000
|
118,549
|
0.04%
|
+200%
|
|
New Age
|
20,000
|
68,000
|
95,968
|
0.03%
|
+240%
|
|
Sikhism
|
13,000
|
57,000
|
80,444
|
0.03%
|
+338%
|
|
Scientology
|
45,000
|
55,000
|
77,621
|
0.02%
|
+22%
|
|
Humanist
|
29,000
|
49,000
|
69,153
|
0.02%
|
+69%
|
|
Deity (Deist)
|
6,000
|
49,000
|
69,153
|
0.02%
|
+717%
|
|
Taoist
|
23,000
|
40,000
|
56,452
|
0.02%
|
+74%
|
|
Eckankar
|
18,000
|
26,000
|
36,694
|
0.01%
|
+44%
|
It does amaze me that .4% of the population thinks they can dictate their lack of religion and belief in a deity upon every other citizen of this nation and it totally appalls me when the president says America is no longer a Christian Nation. If you look at the above chart Christians and Jews out number all other religious organizations combined. Below is a short video link that every True American should see and then some light might be shed on the beliefs of the current administration.
Jerry Prather
Communications Director
Vance County Republican Party
