computer games and church?

[vidcc]

Nope, don't see any point there.

Oh well. never mind then

[Gripper]

When a church gets in to politics and rules the country becomes a theocracy I think.
The Catholic Church has always been very influentaul in politics in a lot of countries.

[hobbes]

So you feel Churches should not express an opinion in relation to matters of morals, ethics, religion etc.

Do you feel the same way for other groups, animal rights activists or gun owners for example. Should no-one express their view.

Or do you only deny freedom of expression to Churches.

Edit : I think the "wall" was there to stop Churches having actual power, like in the UK. That's how it was explained to me in another thread.

Churches have the right to express themselves, as long as what they are proposing to inact does not infringe upon the rights of the individual.

Growing up in St. Louis, businesses were not allowed to open on Sundays as it was a day for church and family. It was then modified so that you could only buy essential things, like food, but you could not buy non-essential things. I specifically remember the clerk not being allowed to sell us vacuum cleaner bags.

Currently, here in Texas, one cannot buy hard liquor on Sundays.

Why is that? It is the Church infringing upon my personal liberties. I want to open my store on Sunday, I want to sell whatever I have. I want to buy vast amounts of vodka.

This is just a one example of an inappropriate influence of religion upon the State. This is what I object to.

[Busyman]

So you feel Churches should not express an opinion in relation to matters of morals, ethics, religion etc.

Do you feel the same way for other groups, animal rights activists or gun owners for example. Should no-one express their view.

Or do you only deny freedom of expression to Churches.

Edit : I think the "wall" was there to stop Churches having actual power, like in the UK. That's how it was explained to me in another thread.

Churches have the right to express themselves, as long as what they are proposing to inact does not infringe upon the rights of the individual.

Growing up in St. Louis, businesses were not allowed to open on Sundays as it was a day for church and family. It was then modified so that you could only buy essential things, like food, but you could not buy non-essential things. I specifically remember the clerk not being allowed to sell us vacuum cleaner bags.

Currently, here in Texas, one cannot buy hard liquor on Sundays.

Why is that? It is the Church infringing upon my personal liberties. I want to open my store on Sunday, I want to sell whatever I have. I want to buy vast amounts of vodka.

This is just a one example of an inappropriate influence of religion upon the State. This is what I object to.

I wholeheartedly agree.

[Busyman]

When a church gets in to politics and rules the country becomes a theocracy I think.
The Catholic Church has always been very influentaul in politics in a lot of countries.

...and yet they change policy like the wind. They are as bad as any other government. One thing is it's followers are expected to follow a man (The Pope) blindly.

I thought that was only reserved for Republicans in America.

[vidcc]

CONTEMPT -- How the Right Is Wronging American Justice

[JPaul]

So you feel Churches should not express an opinion in relation to matters of morals, ethics, religion etc.

Do you feel the same way for other groups, animal rights activists or gun owners for example. Should no-one express their view.

Or do you only deny freedom of expression to Churches.

Edit : I think the "wall" was there to stop Churches having actual power, like in the UK. That's how it was explained to me in another thread.

Churches have the right to express themselves, as long as what they are proposing to inact does not infringe upon the rights of the individual.

Growing up in St. Louis, businesses were not allowed to open on Sundays as it was a day for church and family. It was then modified so that you could only buy essential things, like food, but you could not buy non-essential things. I specifically remember the clerk not being allowed to sell us vacuum cleaner bags.

Currently, here in Texas, one cannot buy hard liquor on Sundays.

Why is that? It is the Church infringing upon my personal liberties. I want to open my store on Sunday, I want to sell whatever I have. I want to buy vast amounts of vodka.

This is just a one example of an inappropriate influence of religion upon the State. This is what I object to.

Then the same goes for any group. Anti-gun lobbies must not be allowed, as that infringes upon the rights of chaps who wish to have a gun.

My only point here is that Churches should be treated equally, no better or worse than any other organisation. If every group is allowed to lobby, almost certainly infringing on the opinions / rights of others, then why should Churches be precluded from doing the same.

Churches should not be treated as a special case, either positively or negatively. They should be treated the same as any other group.

[GepperRankins]

impartiality rawks. we've all been pro or anti church without being pro or anti church.


JP, comparing the church to gun lobbyists is rediculous. guns kill people, or people with guns kill people, depending on if you wanna be a dick about it. so comparing the distribution of lethal weapons with laws that in the eyes of non- and less devout or literalist christians is irrational is pretty stupid.

[hobbes]

Then the same goes for any group. Anti-gun lobbies must not be allowed, as that infringes upon the rights of chaps who wish to have a gun.

My only point here is that Churches should be treated equally, no better or worse than any other organisation. If every group is allowed to lobby, almost certainly infringing on the opinions / rights of others, then why should Churches be precluded from doing the same.

Churches should not be treated as a special case, either positively or negatively. They should be treated the same as any other group.

Freedom of speech ensures that everyone has the right to express an opinion (lobby). Our Constitution allows this right, but it specifically prevents infringement of the rights of others because of a specific Religions' opinion.

To me, being forced to "rest" on Sunday is an arbitrary law. It is just pulled from a book of mythology, IMO.

And that is the entire point about separation of church and state. No man should be prevented from acting as he see fit because a specific religion does not approve.

Gun lobbies are based in something entirely logical. It has become a situation in which our society has a problem and we must decide the best course of action. It is really a risk/benefit ratio, not an imperative from some book. A book some believe is the word of God and to others nothing but mythology.

Gun laws are like speed limits, drug laws and innummerable other compromises of the right of expression of the individual.

Why stop at guns, why can't I have dynamite, nitroglycerin or even my own nuclear weapon. Is that not a right.

We all understand the need to compromise and evaluate the overall societal risk/benefit ratio. We don't need some immutable and rather arbitrary decree from a book.

[JPaul]

Can anyone here see that I was using one example to illustrate a point.

It was not intended as being analogous.