WE say we love our children and they are our highest priority for our love, care and safety...but I have to wonder...
And, you???!
This video informs us that SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG and it's time we need to take action:
http://www.kfor.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?ClipID1=2194682&h1=Lawsuit%20against%20DHS%20seeks%20changes%20in%20state%20child%20welfare%20system&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=298833&LaunchPageAdTag=Health&activePane=info&rnd=12815090
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Friday, May 09, 2008
Should we have a separation of church and state?
Last edited by the author on April 29, 2008 5:01 PM PDT
Prime Fractionatar says:
The concept of "separation of church and state" has a very specific meaning and was very intentionally included via implication in our founding documents for a very specific purpose:
The government our country declared freedom from was England. The Church of England had become the government for all practical purposes, and as such, people were persecuted, punished, made to be criminal FOR BELIEFS NOT aligned with the ruling Church of England. Thus, many "escapees" from that tyranny of oppressive BELIEFS (Church of England's religion was codified into the laws governing the English people making those acting upon differing religious beliefs CRIMINALS for their "illegal" behaviors), became the founders of our nation.
We must never forget this because it is the context that gives meaning to what our founding fathers were thinking and why they revolted. It gives substance and intention to the framework of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. WE KNOW our beginnings were not "slapped together 'willy-nilly' on a whim. So, lets get smart and think within the original context when probing the wisdom of our founding fathers as this is sure to guide us well.
What most well-intentioned people fail to grasp, with the same clarity as our founding fathers' possessed, is that when a government "gets to select a specific religion's belief as superior enough to pass laws favoring its viewpoint, it is making those with opposing beliefs into CRIMINALS for taking actions upon their differing beliefs. YIKES for freedom lovers!
Our founding father's wise mandate is violated at our long term peril and will eventuate alienation of our people. One of the amazing aspects of America has been the protection of and tolerance of opposing views that has given us the ability to be a "melting pot" of unique expressions, most valued at a religious and spiritual core. We have flourished in a culture of diversity that "agrees to disagree" at times so that we may be free as a nation to live as un-oppressed masses, and it has made America a GREAT PLACE to be.
Do you know which current political issue is fundamentally religious at its heart and we are attempting to force the religious views of certain religions "down the throats" of those with differing, and yet wonderful beliefs in their OWN RELIGIOUS RIGHT???
Today, we are toying with this by confusing the issue as a "right to life" issue (as defined by certain religions) rather than a "right to choice" issue, and it is not, to use a Martha Stewart term, "a good thing."
I cannot be free if I am not free.
Here it is in a NUTSHELL
Now consider this, irrespective of my or anyone's personal belief about the morality of ANY given medical procedure for personal need, it is Not CONSTITUIONALLY MORAL, and it is SPECIFICALLY FORBIDDEN for our government to pass laws FAVORING one religion's belief as superior enough over another religiously held belief to pass ANY LAW making a person acting upon different religious beliefs CRIMINAL, and denying them LEGAL ACCESS to the medical treatments of their CHOICE! Banning all religions would be equally a violation of Separation of Church and State as well!
WE have crossed this line already. We are confusing politics and religious beliefs, thus mixing the affairs of church into the affairs of politics. This MUST Stop because our government is slowly advocating the beliefs of more fundamental religious thought INTO our LAWS and this is reason enough to stop!
NOTE: It is an equally confused issue to be demanding that people cannot pray in public or talk of moral issues or engage in practices of differing beliefs. It is OBVIOUS this is not the meaning since, during the lifetimes of the founding fathers, they practiced tolerance of all kinds of public behaviors derived from differing religious thought. Duh?! The Obvious strikes its clarity!
This is not the proper understanding, and this is clarified by returning to the context. IT IS SOLEY ABOUT PASSING LAWS OPPRESSING THE CHOICES OF OTHERS BASED ON SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS BELIEFS/TENETS AND MAKING ACTS CRIMINAL BASED ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS EnCoded INTO LAWS. Eg. Making laws which make abortion illegal because of the sanctity of physical life is a religious bias because not all religions agree on when the soul, spirit, etc enters the body, and even if the body itself is the 'big Kaunas' or not; it may be all spiritual and the physical is simply as transitory as birth-death cycles themselves. This example goes to the heart of the meaning of what SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE IS ABOUT, and the context makes that eminently clear, does it not?!
Now that's the Real Skinny of it!
PS: ekory, and TrustMe as others here speak TRUE.
Mother Hen, while we do reject other's values, it confuses the issue to toss child molestation orgs into the mix of church and state because churches have a long history of "getting into the government" seat and attempt to control the masses via a "god" enthroned into governmental powers. We have enough history as Warren Holzem points out with the legacies of hate and wars, and Rights over privileges is a key factor of consideration with this issue.
There is a difficulty in being free, esp when you consider the response-ability it requires to be vigilant and active in monitoring those we select to represent our united concerns and from the perspective of maturity and acceptance one has to embody. As a nation, today, I see a very juvenile attitude regarding freedom and its obligations; its never inappropriate to be "green and growing," yet, I think apathy, selfishness, and resentment are contagions we need to be alert about contracting because like all dis-ease, we spew toxins and poison our health well-being.
We are surely More alike than we are different, if we would choose to make that our underlying focus in all our communicating and law passing, this would be a more wonderful nation, would it not?
I think we may all "be on the same page", here, it just doesn't necessarily sound like it...
I copied this over from Amazon's GoldBox (the LINK is below) because the discussion was basically non-responsive to my comment. I wanted to get a flavor of what people could grasp from my insight, and best I can tell, it was not of interest; maybe it is such a radical turn from the way this issue has been "locked-down" to be so polarized, that a new angle of perception is not noticed, YET.
It is quite sad, the post there broke down into some infighting over religious difference rather than the content of the question posed.
LINK to original post:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/forum/cd/discussion.html/ref=cm_cd_et_md_pl/?ie=
UTF8&cdForum=Fx20DX5GEB7TUX8&cdMsgNo=22&cdPage=1&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=
Tx12AA5MRR4RZE&cdMsgID=Mx1W814WZMDKRLZ#Mx1W814WZMDKRLZ
Prime Fractionatar says:
The concept of "separation of church and state" has a very specific meaning and was very intentionally included via implication in our founding documents for a very specific purpose:
The government our country declared freedom from was England. The Church of England had become the government for all practical purposes, and as such, people were persecuted, punished, made to be criminal FOR BELIEFS NOT aligned with the ruling Church of England. Thus, many "escapees" from that tyranny of oppressive BELIEFS (Church of England's religion was codified into the laws governing the English people making those acting upon differing religious beliefs CRIMINALS for their "illegal" behaviors), became the founders of our nation.
We must never forget this because it is the context that gives meaning to what our founding fathers were thinking and why they revolted. It gives substance and intention to the framework of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. WE KNOW our beginnings were not "slapped together 'willy-nilly' on a whim. So, lets get smart and think within the original context when probing the wisdom of our founding fathers as this is sure to guide us well.
What most well-intentioned people fail to grasp, with the same clarity as our founding fathers' possessed, is that when a government "gets to select a specific religion's belief as superior enough to pass laws favoring its viewpoint, it is making those with opposing beliefs into CRIMINALS for taking actions upon their differing beliefs. YIKES for freedom lovers!
Our founding father's wise mandate is violated at our long term peril and will eventuate alienation of our people. One of the amazing aspects of America has been the protection of and tolerance of opposing views that has given us the ability to be a "melting pot" of unique expressions, most valued at a religious and spiritual core. We have flourished in a culture of diversity that "agrees to disagree" at times so that we may be free as a nation to live as un-oppressed masses, and it has made America a GREAT PLACE to be.
Do you know which current political issue is fundamentally religious at its heart and we are attempting to force the religious views of certain religions "down the throats" of those with differing, and yet wonderful beliefs in their OWN RELIGIOUS RIGHT???
Today, we are toying with this by confusing the issue as a "right to life" issue (as defined by certain religions) rather than a "right to choice" issue, and it is not, to use a Martha Stewart term, "a good thing."
I cannot be free if I am not free.
Here it is in a NUTSHELL
Now consider this, irrespective of my or anyone's personal belief about the morality of ANY given medical procedure for personal need, it is Not CONSTITUIONALLY MORAL, and it is SPECIFICALLY FORBIDDEN for our government to pass laws FAVORING one religion's belief as superior enough over another religiously held belief to pass ANY LAW making a person acting upon different religious beliefs CRIMINAL, and denying them LEGAL ACCESS to the medical treatments of their CHOICE! Banning all religions would be equally a violation of Separation of Church and State as well!
WE have crossed this line already. We are confusing politics and religious beliefs, thus mixing the affairs of church into the affairs of politics. This MUST Stop because our government is slowly advocating the beliefs of more fundamental religious thought INTO our LAWS and this is reason enough to stop!
NOTE: It is an equally confused issue to be demanding that people cannot pray in public or talk of moral issues or engage in practices of differing beliefs. It is OBVIOUS this is not the meaning since, during the lifetimes of the founding fathers, they practiced tolerance of all kinds of public behaviors derived from differing religious thought. Duh?! The Obvious strikes its clarity!
This is not the proper understanding, and this is clarified by returning to the context. IT IS SOLEY ABOUT PASSING LAWS OPPRESSING THE CHOICES OF OTHERS BASED ON SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS BELIEFS/TENETS AND MAKING ACTS CRIMINAL BASED ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS EnCoded INTO LAWS. Eg. Making laws which make abortion illegal because of the sanctity of physical life is a religious bias because not all religions agree on when the soul, spirit, etc enters the body, and even if the body itself is the 'big Kaunas' or not; it may be all spiritual and the physical is simply as transitory as birth-death cycles themselves. This example goes to the heart of the meaning of what SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE IS ABOUT, and the context makes that eminently clear, does it not?!
Now that's the Real Skinny of it!
PS: ekory, and TrustMe as others here speak TRUE.
Mother Hen, while we do reject other's values, it confuses the issue to toss child molestation orgs into the mix of church and state because churches have a long history of "getting into the government" seat and attempt to control the masses via a "god" enthroned into governmental powers. We have enough history as Warren Holzem points out with the legacies of hate and wars, and Rights over privileges is a key factor of consideration with this issue.
There is a difficulty in being free, esp when you consider the response-ability it requires to be vigilant and active in monitoring those we select to represent our united concerns and from the perspective of maturity and acceptance one has to embody. As a nation, today, I see a very juvenile attitude regarding freedom and its obligations; its never inappropriate to be "green and growing," yet, I think apathy, selfishness, and resentment are contagions we need to be alert about contracting because like all dis-ease, we spew toxins and poison our health well-being.
We are surely More alike than we are different, if we would choose to make that our underlying focus in all our communicating and law passing, this would be a more wonderful nation, would it not?
I think we may all "be on the same page", here, it just doesn't necessarily sound like it...
I copied this over from Amazon's GoldBox (the LINK is below) because the discussion was basically non-responsive to my comment. I wanted to get a flavor of what people could grasp from my insight, and best I can tell, it was not of interest; maybe it is such a radical turn from the way this issue has been "locked-down" to be so polarized, that a new angle of perception is not noticed, YET.
It is quite sad, the post there broke down into some infighting over religious difference rather than the content of the question posed.
LINK to original post:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/forum/cd/discussion.html/ref=cm_cd_et_md_pl/?ie=
UTF8&cdForum=Fx20DX5GEB7TUX8&cdMsgNo=22&cdPage=1&cdSort=oldest&cdThread=
Tx12AA5MRR4RZE&cdMsgID=Mx1W814WZMDKRLZ#Mx1W814WZMDKRLZ
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
NAPCAN's award winning multi-media campaign:
It
is a rarity today to find something of the
quality that it IS TRULY WORTH YOUR
TIME. I found this while
clearing my email. This gem was found by
a CASA volunteer who shared it with his CASA team, and I feel compelled to
share it onward.
One
Look, a priceless message that will NOT waste one moment of your precious life,
it is One of the Most important messages a PARENT, a person can grok to live a
better or more meaningful and empowered life.
We
all exert an influence. This quick video
and song drive how important we all are and the power we have to
influence. I'd say, there's a 99% chance
this will "hit home" and have you pondering how you have been
silently changing the world by simply being you!
Children
watch adults and emulate them as their role models and heroes...make your influence positive. We change the
world one step at a time, one person at a time, and most of us don't even
realize the footsteps we lay in the sands of time and who is following in the
tracks we've laid.
We
are powerful beyond what the general malaise of media would have us think.
[Maybe that sentence is an oxymoron, my sense is that the current media doesn't
think we can think??!] For less than a
few brief moments of your life, you will connect with the power that is yours.
This
message is artwork itself. It is journalism at its best, and it is
poignant...it delivers a message so few can find the words to articulate, yet,
here it is powerful, non-judging, simply TRUE and motivating.
Do
yourself a "good thing" as Martha Stewart is so fond of saying, and
Click Here to see why this is an AWARD winner!
I
cannot write anything that would say it better, so I shall do the honorable
thing and LINK YOU UP.
"Scotty,
Beam them over."
I would be extremely grateful if you would give me the pleasure of your Comment and let me know how this video influenced YOU. Feedback makes the world go round and takes us out of the world of "me me me and only what me thinks," which I think is integral to making change happen.
All to Love,
Sharon
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