Publius

I see this statement as the true problem with the way such people think. Note the bolded “make disciples” portion. The way the author uses this leads one to believe that one should be out making disciples by force. It is their God ordained duty for force everyone to follow their version of the faith. It is this very thinking by a large majority of the extreme christian right that scares me the most.

And while I respect your right to be a Catholic, I must disagree. Which brings me to my second point, anyone who is serious about being a “christian” in this country should be out fighting to protect their rights to freedom of “free exercise thereof” (and that IS found in the constitution). It is important to understand that this is the very reason for separation of church and state, to protect religions for themselves. Many of our ancestors came to this country to escape the State established religions in Europe (most notably Catholicism) so that they would be free to exercise their own religions beliefs in the way they best saw fit without being told by the State what to do. Many people have forgotten that today blinding them to the importance of this separation. (I personally grew-up in a religious sect that views the Pope as the anti-christ, and the Catholic Church as the beast predicted in Revelations during the last days. This is not meant to be an inflammatory statement rather a statement of fact. Because of this background it has been ingrained in me to always fight for one’s freedom of religion, or more rightly put, freedom from religious persecution.)

Please don’t let this one nut job represent all of Nebraska ... there are many good people in this state that are not this close minded. (Actually I think you will find people like this author in every state, if you are watching for them.)

no, No, NO! Time to pull out the big boys.

“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & 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 & State.” - Jefferson

“Notwithstanding the general progress made within the two last centuries in favour of this branch of liberty, & the full establishment of it, in some parts of our Country, there remains in others a strong bias towards the old error, that without some sort of alliance or coalition between Government & Religion neither can be duly supported. Such indeed is the tendency to such a coalition, and such its corrupting influence on both the parties, that the danger cannot be too carefully guarded against. And in a Government of opinion, like ours, the only effectual guard must be found in the soundness and stability of the general opinion on the subject. Every new and successful example therefore of a perfect separation between ecclesiastical and civil matters, is of importance. And I have no doubt that every new example, will succeed, as every past one has done, in shewing that religion & Government will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together. It was the belief of all sects at one time that the establishment of Religion by law, was right & necessary; that the true religion ought to be established in exclusion of every other; And that the only question to be decided was which was the true religion. The example of Holland proved that a toleration of sects, dissenting from the established sect, was safe & even useful. The example of the Colonies, now States, which rejected religious establishments altogether, proved that all Sects might be safely & advantageously put on a footing of equal & entire freedom; and a continuance of their example since the declaration of Independence, has shewn that its success in Colonies was not to be ascribed to their connection with the parent Country. If a further confirmation of the truth could be wanted, it is to be found in the examples furnished by the States, which have abolished their religious establishments. I cannot speak particularly of any of the cases excepting that of Virginia where it is impossible to deny that Religion prevails with more zeal, and a more exemplary priesthood than it ever did when established and patronized by Public authority. We are teaching the world the great truth that Governments do better without Kings & Nobles than with them. The merit will be doubled by the other lesson that Religion flourishes in greater purity, without than with the aid of Government.” - Madison

Our Founders knew that Religion and Government don’t mix. They established the separation of church and state to protect RELIGION from the corrupting influences of government (not the other way around as many would have you believe). Madison even claims that Religion will “flourish” because of this separation (and it has) and a moral society will be one more check against corrupt government. It’s the people, not the government, who are meant to be moral here. Government is always corrupt, and by mixing religion with government you make it corrupt as well.