Re: Government churches should be constitutionally rabid

On Thu, 13 Nov 2003, M. Clark wrote:

> Carol Lee Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> > On Mon, 10 Nov 2003, M. Clark wrote:

> > > Carol Lee Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> > > > To atheists you attribute too much power.  Why is that?

> > > > "Boo Hoo, atheists made me do it." ???????????????

> > > > If atheists had any sort of influence, religious liberty would mean
> > > > religious liberty for everyone, not just the majority religious opinion.

> > > > If atheists had any sort of influence, government would be dependably
> > > > neutral in matters of religion.

> > > Where did you get the idea that government was to remain neutral in
> > > matters of religion?  Certainly not from Jefferson.

> > No.  Perhaps not.  I don't get all of my ideas from Jefferson.  Even
> > Jefferson left writings to the effect that he realized things would change
> > and different times would require different tactics.

> > There have been SCOTUS rulings which provide the notion that neutrality is
> > appropriate.

> > Jefferson is dead.  He no longer influences much of anything which happens
> > in the sphere of government.

> Jefferson's church/state separation writing was quoted in the bottom
> line of the Everson v. Board of Education opinion.  This indicates that
> the SC essentially gave Jefferson's famous but wrongly understood
> writing the force of the law.

There he goes again, folks.

He is the only one who really understands what Jefferson was all about,
and he thinks it really matters in the real world.