The Obvious Question

Cal sez: "If your faith teaches you one thing and should you obtain the power to actually act on that faith, wouldn't you be a hypocrite not to?"

Cal, you're being dense. The essence of religious freedom is that private citizens get to make their own religious choices. It is the duty of a government official in this country to preserve that environment of private choice whenever possible, and very possibly at the expense of his own religion's teachings on the matter. If someone can't understand that, they have no business being in a position of power.

There are other categories of decision in which a government official simply has to make a choice that will affect his fellow citizens above their own choice. In these cases, it is absurd to think that his own religion will not come into the picture. It is admirable and proper to try to keep these to as few as possible, and to limit their scope as much as possible.

Freedom isn't always easy. Preserving it is the American way.

So, Rev. Thomas, what you think is the 'obvious question' and how you phrase it mean you would like...

A religious test for public office?

Complete with enforcing your personal interpretations of what opinions you want to claim constitute membership in the religion you claim to speak for?

Daaaangerous... Even if you're a Christian, I should think. I mean, let's face it, I don't have religious rights after a couple of centuries out of the goodness of you guys' hearts, as much as the ideal is a goodness... it's cause you were *rightly afraid of *each other.**

Afraid of the corruption that comes when religion and ideology get too much sway over the people in a government capacity.

Like... Oh, I dunno, *Watergate?*

*You* put my partnership in quotes, sir, and then claim that imposing your opinion is the business in government.

The only reason my partner and I don't have what I'd call marriage with a capital M is cause I won't have her swear an oath before the Gods some dude like you might come along and prevent her from keeping. Or screw her for keeping.

The 'Obvious Question' ought to stop being phrased by someone like *you,* is what it is.

See, cause *your* 'obvious question' begs certain *less* obvious questions some Evangelicals might want to consider, like, "Oh, What We call Holy, If We Get What Certain 'Question-Askers' Insist We Want, Where Does *That* End?"

Cause that's one thing about you Christians and when you take too much theocratic power for yourselves.

It may be convenient and tidy to *want* 'Let's All Just Live By The Bible,' ...but....

It *never* ends. Ever. One you think you've duly put down the 'outsiders,' you fall on each other over stuff.

Every. Single. Time.

So, I think the obvious questions are a bit more direct. And a bit more in the spirit of the Republic in which we supposedly live.

E Pluribus Unum.

ie, 'We're one among Pluros, how can we live in the unum.'

Fallen Human Endeavor, like the Olympics, does 'not' have a religious tie, to the High Tech Science 'beginning' of Life on Earth. Only an Inherited Physical Tie, to the Fall of the High Tech Science Human Species.

The Fact of the Colonization of Life on Earth with High Tech Science, and the Reproduction of Perfect Male and Female Clone Helpmeets on Earth, was lost.

Fallen Religious Humans use the High Tech Science History Book, of Genesis Chapter 1 and 2, to explain that Life on Earth was Created 'Supernaturally', with an atmosphere, and all the flora, fauna and species were added.

'Natural' Science Fallen Humans, use Evolution to prove how Life began on Earth that had an atmosphere and algae, that Evolved into life up to the Apes, and then into Human Beings.

Today Fallen Humans again, have the High Tech Science Knowledge of 'Super'naturally Colonizing a Planet and Reproducing Life in the Lab: Human Fetus' and Cloning Animals.

Fallen Humans today, do Know the 'Super'natural High Tech Way, for the Human Species to Travel in Space, and 'how' to Colonize Planets.

Fallen Humans today, Know 'how', but so far have not, Reproduced and Cloned, Equal High Tech Science Male and Female Helpmeets; we do Clone Animals. Humans need a High Tech Womb to finish the Perfect Reproduction Process.

The High Tech Clone Helpmeets, 'in the beginning' began Unequal Heterosexual Body Birth. We do not Know 'Why'. The Original Humans lost their High Tech Science Knowledge.

Unequal Humans began Religions, about these Supernatural Gods, Our High Tech Science Clone Ancestors. A Divided Unequal Sharing Killing Lifestyle Society, replaced their Equal Sharing Peace Lifestyle.

Religious teachings resulted, from the Original mistranslation of the Reason, for the Original Loss of the Eternal High Tech Science Physical Lifestyle. There is a Peaceful Pure-bred Male and Female Clone Human Species, on Planets and In Spaceships.

Cal sez, "...and individual Christians do that would reduce the need, cost and power of government?"

Faith based initiatives are "hell bent" to do all three.

1. Reduced the need of government. In eastern Europe the church became the government thus "the revolution" to overthrow the Czar and "establish democracy" could not be a success without eliminating the existing government, the church. We're headed in that direction empowering the church making it the real government which "reduces the need of government."

2. Reduce the cost of government. We must ignore the cost of religion and focus our attention on the cost of government. "Gifts" to God are not costs even if those gifts are taxes collected at gun point by the government. Both candidates agreed to continue "Faith based initiatives" that are taxes turned over to your collective "the church" which may not be counted when deciding "the cost of government." This was the scheme employed by Constantine the great to, cut taxes, increase spending and balance the budget" just like our greatest ever president Ronald Regan both said and did with "faith based initiatives" that "reduce the cost of government."

3. Reduce the power of government. Pastor Rick gives us a graphic example of how the power of government has been reduced by your collective, "the church." His power is greater than that of both candidates "collectively." He wields the "power of faith" and demonstrates/ed how weak government is in the face of religion, "reducing even more the power of government."

The country is bankrupt, literally. Pundits on Wall Street, when asked about "the other shoe falling" have called our present condition a centipede. Many shoes have fallen and there are still many more to fall. Religion caused the collapse of the Roman empire and Czarist Russia. Is the next step for America Godless Communism?

Real conservatives know that the public treasury may not be controlled by anyone with the power to vote themselves money from it without the destruction of the government for they will always vote themselves more money than there is altogether. The key word is not debt but "monetize." Faith based initiatives are funded by monetized money that is not just a tax on all Americans but a tax on all who hold dollars world wide. How long before that shoe falls, the rest of the world decides they've funded American religions enough and "dump their dollars." Who is under that shoe and sure to be crushed?

Every monetized dollar reduces the value of the dollar, a fair because no one is left out tax on all who have dollars. They don't do that in Godless China. What is their currency called again?

Lepidopteryx, I agree with you about same-sex marriage, since no one is being harmed. Adults who love each other and feel the same sexual orientation choose to marry and remain committed.

Just in case you are a pro-abortionist, please read the science based arguments presented on Susan Jacoby's thread, The Poor Ye Shall Always Have With You.

In the past we have had people who professed a strong faith set it aside when it comes to "social" and moral issues such as abortion, same-sex "marriage" and capital punishment. If your faith teaches you one thing and should you obtain the power to actually act on that faith, wouldn't you be a hypocrite not to?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My faith teaches me that I should compost my kitchen scraps, but even if I were to find myself in a position of government authority, it would not be right for me to decree that everyone MUST compost their kitchen waste.
Likewise, the fact that any government official's faith teaches that a certain behavior is a sin does not make it right for them to enact their religious beliefs into laws that would, in effect, force everyone to conform to one particular set of religious beliefs, whether or not they shared said beliefs.
So, Cal, if you believe that homosexuality is a sin, you will mot be compelled to marry another man. You marriage to your wife will not be dissolved. But it does not give you the authority to deny the right of marriage to same-sex couples simply because your god says so.