Christian flags on government property

[jzeidler]

I am a Christian and I hold to this.
“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.” -First Amendment.
I have no problem with a Christian flag being taken down from a government place. I just don’t want atheists being jerks about it. “Freedom from religion” forgets that the government will not ‘prohibit the free exercise of religion’. So they need to get over themselves and let people worship how they wish.
However, Christians need to understand that America is not a theocracy and God doesn’t want it to be one. Jesus died to save people, not to institute a Christian government. The kingdom of heaven is in each believer of Christ, not within Washington DC, nor is it the job of a Christian to institute it there.
Many Christians forget the reason why the founding fathers said, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” They said this because they wanted to protect people of religion and those who don’t have a religion. They wanted to protect the people of religion because if the government were to establish a countrywide religion and give money to the church the government could then dictate how the church acts, what they teach, punish heretics, and who they place in authority.
This is why 'separation of church and state’ though not constitutional, is a good thing for everyone. Christians can have a place in government and govern with their convictions but the establishment of the church and the establishment of government shouldn’t have authority over each other. This also protects the non-religious person too because it doesn’t force them to believe anything they don’t want to or persecute them. This country wasn’t founded with the purpose of freedom 'from’ religion. But founded as a country with freedom of religion.

 

[Buzzword]

Agreed on most points.

I was just in the mood to start a thread on the baseless victim complex of too many self-identifying Christians (SICs) in America.

On a similar note:
Please Stop With The Christian Persecution Complex

I've lost track of the number of times I've hit a brick wall in discussions with SICs.
Like when the SCOTUS ruled in favor of national marital equality, my Facebook newsfeed (to say nothing of TOL) was full of stuff like "Better register your objections now before Christians lose the right to free speech!"

What too many people refuse to admit is that "lack of special treatment" does not equal "persecution".

We are seeing the gradual death of church privilege, which of course the reigning majority religious group is treating as the death of Christianity.

Just jump into a church discussion and suggest that having an Atheist for a president would be good for the country, and watch the wailing and gnashing of teeth take over.

 

[bybee]

Well said.
I was just in the mood to start a thread on the baseless victim complex of too many self-identifying Christians (SICs) in America.

On a similar note:
Please Stop With The Christian Persecution Complex

I've lost track of the number of times I've hit a brick wall in discussions with SICs.
Like when the SCOTUS ruled in favor of national marital equality, my Facebook newsfeed (to say nothing of TOL) was full of stuff like "Better register your objections now before Christians lose the right to free speech!"

What too many people refuse to admit is that "lack of special treatment" does not equal "persecution".

We are seeing the gradual death of church privilege, which of course the reigning majority religious group is treating as the death of Christianity.

Just jump into a church discussion and suggest that having an Atheist for a president would be good for the country, and watch the wailing and gnashing of teeth take over.

It may well be that we now have a closet Muslim in the white house so an atheist might be a fresh breeze?
He believes that "special treatment" is in order via reparations to some Americans due to treatment in the past.

 

[Buzzword]

It may well be that we now have a closet Muslim in the white house

Based on what evidence?

so an atheist might be a fresh breeze?

In general, yes.
There wouldn't be any danger of pandering to the millionaire-televangelist set, we wouldn't hear any probably-false claims of piety, and there'd be a much greater chance of some new ideas coming out of the White House.

He believes that "special treatment" is in order via reparations to some Americans due to treatment in the past.

Reparations are supposed to help the descendants of victims of racial abuse who still suffer under an unjust and oppressive system.
They aren't and have never been enough, given that the system which keeps them pinned down continues to perpetuate itself.

Also, nothing here actually addresses anything I posted.

 

[bybee]

Based on what evidence?



In general, yes.
There wouldn't be any danger of pandering to the millionaire-televangelist set, we wouldn't hear any probably-false claims of piety, and there'd be a much greater chance of some new ideas coming out of the White House.



Reparations are supposed to help the descendants of victims of racial abuse who still suffer under an unjust and oppressive system.
They aren't and have never been enough, given that the system which keeps them pinned down continues to perpetuate itself.

Also, nothing here actually addresses anything I posted.

My feelings about this administration exactly....

 

[oatmeal]

I am a Christian and I hold to this.
“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.” -First Amendment.
I have no problem with a Christian flag being taken down from a government place. I just don’t want atheists being jerks about it. “Freedom from religion” forgets that the government will not ‘prohibit the free exercise of religion’. So they need to get over themselves and let people worship how they wish.
However, Christians need to understand that America is not a theocracy and God doesn’t want it to be one. Jesus died to save people, not to institute a Christian government. The kingdom of heaven is in each believer of Christ, not within Washington DC, nor is it the job of a Christian to institute it there.
Many Christians forget the reason why the founding fathers said, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” They said this because they wanted to protect people of religion and those who don’t have a religion. They wanted to protect the people of religion because if the government were to establish a countrywide religion and give money to the church the government could then dictate how the church acts, what they teach, punish heretics, and who they place in authority.
This is why 'separation of church and state’ though not constitutional, is a good thing for everyone. Christians can have a place in government and govern with their convictions but the establishment of the church and the establishment of government shouldn’t have authority over each other. This also protects the non-religious person too because it doesn’t force them to believe anything they don’t want to or persecute them. This country wasn’t founded with the purpose of freedom 'from’ religion. But founded as a country with freedom of religion.

Some of our Founding Fathers believed that the Constitution would not work without moral people, people of religion, specifically, from their own lives as Christians, Judeo-Christian beliefs.

They were of the opinion that the Constitution was a work of God.

 

[meshak]

Government and Christianity won't mix.
Government is of the world, Jesus and His followers are not.

This is supposed to be Christianity 101.

 

[This Charming Manc]

we have a flag?

Christians have a flag?

Do we have a country, and army and a tax system as well?

hmm I'm not sure how excited I am about us having a flag?