“The legitimate powers of government extend
to such acts only as are injurious to others.
But it does me no injury for my neighbor to
say there are twenty gods, or no God. It
neither picks my pocket nor breaks my
leg.”
- Thomas Jefferson
- Thomas Jefferson
"In the fevered state of our country, no good
can ever result from any attempt to set one
of these fiery zealots to rights, either in
fact or principle. They are determined as to
the facts they will believe, and the opinions
on which they will act. Get by them,
therefore, as you would by an angry bull; it
is not for a man of sense to dispute the road
with such an animal".
- Thomas Jefferson
- Thomas Jefferson
"Every formula of every religion has in this
age of reason, to submit to the acid test of
reason and universal
assent."
-Mahatma Gandhi
-Mahatma Gandhi
I love the
Christian Right's argument that The United
States was founded on Judeo-Christian values.
I think this is a slight skewing of the
facts. Although it is well known that the
Founders were in fact Christians (mostly,) it
would seem to me that a more correct
statement would be: the U.S. was founded by
people who
espoused Judeo-Christian
values (mostly.) Not to mention the fact that
fully one third
of the
signers of the Constitution were
Freemasons. It is
the inalienable right to "life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness" that would
dictate that freedom of religion also
means freedom from
religion
for those that choose this path. I have no
problem with folks who are opposed to
abortion or gay marriage until they start
spouting on about passing laws pertaining
to such. These are moral issues that have
no place in public policy. Your church is
free to advocate against these and not
allow them within your circle, but those
that don't subscribe to your doctrine are
most certainly free to choose for
themselves. As abhorrent as homosexuality
or abortion may be to you, two men or
women loving each other or a woman
deciding not to bear a child is certainly
not injurious to you.
I find it totally fascinating how
ultra-conservatives are against sex education
and birth control for young people and
against a woman's individual right to choose
at the same time. "Keep
your religion out
of
our government."
Thank-you very much.
"One's own religion is after all a matter
between oneself and one's Maker and no one
else's."
-Mahatma Gandhi
-Mahatma Gandhi
"Believing with you that religion is a matter
which lies solely between man and his God,
that he owes account to none other for his
faith or his worship, that the legislative
powers of government reach actions only, and
not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign
reverence that act of the whole American
people which declared that their legislature
should 'make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall
of separation between church and
State."
- Thomas Jefferson
- Thomas Jefferson
"In religion and politics, people's beliefs
and convictions are in almost every case
gotten at second hand, and without
examination."
-Mark Twain
-Mark Twain