Tag: church and state - Page 28

April 15, 2012

Anne Graham Lotz Shameful Statement On Atheists Shows We Need Separation Of Church And State

Anne Graham Lotz on Meet the Press 04-08-2012

This past Easter Sunday (April 8th), NBC’s “Meet the Press” had a panel discussion about religion’s place in politics, a panel that didn’t include any atheist voices. Rev Billy Graham’s daughter Anne Graham Lotz provided a bumper sticker moment when she declared, contrary to the Constitution’s prohibition on religious tests for office, she didn’t think an atheist should be President. It brought to my mind a 1963 rant of Alabama Governor George Wallace who declared the 14th amendment illegal. It seems Lotz and Wallace are “birds of a feather” and it’s disgraceful she would express such a bigoted statement on national television. It is yet another reason to support strict separation of church and state.

The membership of the panel on “Meet the Press” reminded me of the all-male panel of witnesses for the recent birth control coverage hearings in the US House of Representatives. The MTP Easter panel had zero atheists. Not even a token agnostic:

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April 4, 2012

Putting Reagan’s Church & State Quote In Context Shows A Hypocrisy

quote image of President Reagan supporting separation of church and state

I had a Facebook friend post the image to the right of this text that shows a quote from President Ronald Reagan that seems to support the separation of church and state. I like to check these kinds of things out because I don’t want to pass on a false quote. When I found out where the quote came from, the story is a lot bigger than this small 300×300 image. Learning the full story shows a classic politician speaking out both sides of his mouth.

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March 24, 2012

Catholic Church Members Look Silly Protesting New Contraceptive Mandate

image of the Catholic protest contraception covervage mandate

Saw in the news on Friday (3/23), in various cities across the country, the Catholic church organized members to protest the upcoming contraception coverage mandate that is part of the Affordable Care Act. Under the guise of religious freedom, Bishops, nuns, and others – mostly men – complained about the mandate. The problem is their protest was for the wrong reason and made them look silly.

At one such protest in Toledo Ohio:

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February 6, 2012

Stupid Is As Stupid Does: Santorum Suggests Abortion Causes Breast Cancer

As the old proverb goes “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” On Sunday 02/05/2012, GOP presidential sideshow Rick Santorum removed all doubt that his extreme religious views make him an idiot when it comes to science. He told his friends on FOX “news” that abortion causes breast cancer. Current science and public health policy has shot that kind of “scientific” thinking down. It only proves that Santorum should stick to his frothy day job.

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January 31, 2012

Columnist Says President Sold Out His Faith On Birth Control Coverage Rules

image of Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr.

A Washington Post columnist, E.J. Dionne Jr., who I generally agree with most times, wrote in a recent column that President Obama’s administration messed up twice in drafting Department of Health and Human Services rules requiring insurance coverage of birth control under the health care reform law passed in 2010. It seems Dionne feels that since the President is a believer, he threw his liberal Catholic supporters under a bus by not allowing a exemption for Catholic hospitals, universities, and social-services. Dionne’s column was disturbing and yet educational as to why we must all play by the same rules.

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January 10, 2012

What Does Religious Freedom Day Really Mean?

January 16th is National Religious Freedom Day. The day commemorates the Virginia General Assembly’s adoption of Thomas Jefferson’s landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on January 16, 1786. The Virginia Statute was the basis of the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution and also can be used to support Jefferson’s idea of the separation of church and state. The Religious Right have of course co-opted the day by mass marketing misleading information about what real religious freedom means in this country. Luckily, Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU) has some help available to tell the truth.

The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was passed at a time when state support and protection of churches was the norm in what would become the United States. Thomas Jefferson offered the statute as a way to protect the church and the state. It is obvious from reading the text that separating church and state was the goal.

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