I probably should have just deleted it, but instead I replied to all.
Very nice.And we are in the Bible Belt.Is Rhode Island really in the Bible Belt these days?
The argument in that email is very interesting. It begins by asking what the big deal is. Who cares if a public school has a kid pray before a football game or not? It's so unimportant, I'm going to write a 100-line diatribe about it! This paragraph in particular is remarkable:Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep. Our Bible tells us just to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying. God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well..........just sue me..Yes, that's right, the courts are telling you you can't pray before eating and sleeping. That's EXACTLY what's going on. Give me a break.
If you want to worship your God in your own way, I don't think any reasonable person will criticize you for it. Getting the state to sponsor your religion is another matter altogether. Can people really not tell the difference?
I also like the phrase 'the silent majority'. Yeah, you never hear Christians talk about their faith or complaining about perceived threats to their faith ever. Legislation and lawsuits to have creationism taught in addition to, or instead of, evolution -- things like that NEVER happen. Christians are so quiet and reserved that if I put my hands over my ears their clamor might be reduced to a dull roar.
People say that this is a Christian nation based on Christian ideals, but I don't see it. Freedom of religion is not a Christian ideal. The right of habeas corpus is not derived from the Bible. These ideals (along with many other non-sectarian values and some less disreputable things like slavery) are the ideals this country is based on, and they are mostly humanist values, not specifically Christian ones. In principal all religions are respected equally by the U.S. government. It's unfortunate that that's not enough for some people.
-jwgh