Hostility Toward Minority Faiths Increasing
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Fri Jul 07, 2006 at 09:39:30 AM EST
Yesterday,  the Chicago Sun-Times reported that a woman filed a suit in federal court claiming that she had been fired from her job after asking for time off to observe a Wiccan holiday.

On the same day, the Las Vegas Review Journal reported that the Veterans Administration is refusing to put a religious symbol on the memorial marker for an Army National Guardsman who was killed while serving our country in Afghanistan.  His widow was advised to file suit in court to secure a ruling that would permit a Wiccan Pentacle to be placed on his marker.  Meanwhile, a bill pending before the U.S. House Constitution Committee, proposes to cut off awarding attorney's fees to plaintiffs who file successful lawsuits in church-state cases.

Today's Ethics Daily has posted a report about a Jewish family in Delaware that had to sell their home of eighteen years and move from their community because they were being threatened after filing suit for complaining about the promotion of Christianity in the public schools.

Either the First Amendment prohibits the government from establishing religion or it doesn't. Increasingly, it appears that it doesn't.  Either persons of minority faiths have equal rights under the Constitution in this country or they don't.  Increasingly, it appears that they don't.

The Dominionist Christians who think they are defending their faith by persecuting persons of other faiths are certainly reclaiming a heritage. At the current pace that the clock is being rolled back on civil liberties in America, it won't be long before we read anew about Jews being herded into box cars and Wiccans being burned at the stake.




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After the last presidential election I had several discussions with a number of gay friends who were seriously considering moving to Canada or New Zealand or Australia.

Immigrating out of the country is no guarantee of safety from the Dominionist right.  A few weeks ago I wrote about the Southern Baptist Convention's plans to organize a world-wide body for expansion that was under SBC control.  They pulled out of the Baptist World Alliance a few years ago because they could not control it.  Yesterday, the Biblical Recorder reported about their recent conference in Romania.

The SBC is exporting its takeover methods around the world.  Those takeover methods involve much more than denominational politics.  They also involve taking over secular politics.


by Mainstream Baptist on Fri Jul 07, 2006 at 09:52:03 AM EST

You know, the one's who are always around there whenvever anyone says "faith-based" or when the claim is being made that people of faith are being driven from the public square?  

It is easy to denounce the gang that does not exist. But what about the gang that drives a Jewish family from their home?

by Frederick Clarkson on Fri Jul 07, 2006 at 01:24:43 PM EST
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As I've mentioned in another section, my faith- the Way of the Square Ground (which is precolumbian Christianity) only has had freedom of religion for 27 years- HERE in the UNITED STATES.  Before that time it, along with other Native American religions, were against the law (for the most part)- and I've met people who have been jailed for practicing their faith.

Every since 911 we've noticed an upswing in hostility to non- fundamentalist "religions".   Those religions that are not considered Christian (even if they are- like ours) are especially singled out for hatred.

by ArchaeoBob on Fri Jul 07, 2006 at 09:56:29 AM EST



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