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Originally Posted by lobrobster
Tell me you're kidding with this comment. It's meant to be a joke of some sort, right?
Nope.
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The problem with this is that the *majority* in some areas are ignorant.
Are you saying the minority is superior to the majority?
Tell me do you believe in democracy?
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This is why we have a constitution and judicial system in place.
The Constitution and the judicial system are part of a democratic process. They were put in place by the consensus of the constituents of this country in order to ensure we would not be ruled by a king that was across the sea. In order to ensure we would not be ruled by a minority of one.
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To protect EVERYONE'S rights!
Correct. That includes the majority.
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This is what prevented the "majority" from getting creationism taught alongside real science in public classrooms. A near catastrophe avoided because our judicial system worked.
Wrong. Creationsim was taught exclusively for a time, evolution has been taught exclusively for a time. But more and more people are recognizing that freedom of thought requires that the children be exposed to the most popular opposing theories and let them make up their minds. Shutting out Christian thought is simply censorship.
New Law Allows for Creationism in the Classroom
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- School officials can't prohibit teachers and students from discussing how life began under a new state law signed by Gov. Haley Barbour.
WLBT 3 - Jackson, MS: New Law Allows for Creationism in the Classroom
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The majority wins the popular vote to office. They rarely *rule*.
The majority rules through the proxy they have given their elected officials.
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The majority of Christians oppose abortion. Again, minority common sense has so far prevailed here as well. Now if it can only prevail with stem cell research... I'll bet it does.
In fact, abortion is on the retreat. The newest technology which views the child in the womb has done more than all the protests in front of abortion clinics. To convince a woman of conscience not to get an abortion, all you need do is show her a video of her child in her womb.
In addition, people have come to recognize the discrepancy in our laws which came about after the abortion laws were permitted. On the one hand, law pertaining to abortion rights tries to depict the human embryo as being simple matter, a blob of tissue. But laws pertaining to murder have always recognized that if someone kills a pregnant woman and the fetus dies, the person has committed not one but two murders. Therefore, law pertaining to murder all over the United States continue to recognize the humanity of the fetus.
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I guess I'm going to have to put this on my clipboard when responding to you.. Just as importantly, this country permits freedom from religion!
No. It permits freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Therefore, religious people have a right to speak their religious mind.
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It's called Pastafarianism. It's founded on the premise that there is just as much real evidence for a Flying Spaghetti Monster as there is for the Christian God.
And its wrong. There is no evidence for the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Yet thousands of people witnessed Christ and His miracles and four eyewitnesses wrote about it in their testimonies of His life, the Gospels.
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In other words, prayers that YOU agree with, right?
Prayers the parents agree with.
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I'd expect you to at least make a token effort to hide your bias.
That is strange coming from someone that isn't hiding his own.
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Again, nobody *rules*.
Yes, in a democracy, We the People, rule. Apparently you haven't learned enough about democracy to value the fact that you live in one.
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I'm not sure why you're so fond of this word. Perhaps you're thinking of some childhood game you used to play. In our government there are systems in place to prevent dangerous ideologies from spreading too quickly and taking over.
Correct. And the ideology that Christians should be censored is a dangerous ideology indeed.
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Yes, even in the face of a majority bias! They can eventuallyy win out, but not before a serious testing of our constitutional laws and the will of the people.
The "will of the people" means the majority rules.
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Our founding fathers ingeniusely set up our constitution the way they did for exactly this reason. Unlike many foreign governments, ours cannot quickly be overthrown by fast rising militias, or religious zealots.
Correct. Read your own words carefully.
When militias overthrow governments, they have always formed dictatorships which rule the people against their will. The constitution is in place to prevent a minority of this type from ruling the government.
The Constitution does not prevent nor even consider "religious zealotry". The Constitution protects our rights to be religious zealots. The Constitution forbids the establishment of a national religion.
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This statement is actually scary and shows a complete lack of forethought. In many places parents are ignorantly uneducated and clearly shouldn't have a say in the educational curriculum of our public schools!
Actually, what you just said is the really scary stuff.
1. This country is founded on respect for the individual. The idea that we know what is right for our children and our families is paramount in our founding documents.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
Declaration of Independence
2. Your statement reminds me of the fact that Hitler didn't think that parents should teach their children either.
Have you ever heard the truism, "if you don't know history, you are likely to repeat its mistakes."
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If the majority of parents want creationism taught, instead of scientific evolution, should any self respecting teacher go along with that?
Yes. Teachers aren't there to promote their own agenda. They are extensions of the parents. Unfortunately, this is not yet recognized by the state which considers teachers an extension of the government.
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Maybe a silly question to ask you, because I'm guessing you'd agree. But the rest of us, want our kids learning REAL science, not Christian dogma. Perhaps you'd feel the same way if we allowed FSM (Flying Spaghetti Monster) propanda to be taught to your child, instead of real science.
You should have the right to have your child taught whatever you consider is real science. I should have the same right.
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And by the way, let's clear this up... Christianity might make up the single largest religious segment of America,
Correct.
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but fundamental Christianity most certainly does not.
I'm Catholic.
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Many who happen to be born into the Christian faith (myself included), are not practicing Christians.
True.
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When you take this into consideration along with all other religions and faiths, conservative Christianity (those who want prayers in schools), are an overwhelming MINORITY!
THEN WHY ARE YOU SO AFRAID THAT PARENTS SHOULD VOTE ON THE MATTER!!
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Yet you still seem to think you run the country and our public schools. The last election should've quelled any such notion for you. It's apparent that the *majority* you're so fond of quoting has voted the 'Christian right' out of congress. And I'm pretty sure the oval office is next.
We'll see won't we.
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And THAT sir, is what makes this country so great! No one group can take over our government or public schools. But you can keep trying. It's a free country.
Try to stop me.
Sincerely,
De Maria
