buckeye
Guest
|
 Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2008 2:31 pm Post subject: Atheist community greatly disturbed by secret Obama meeting |
 |
|
Atheist community greatly disturbed by secret Obama meeting with Christians
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Atheist-Community-Greatly--by-Stuart-Bechman-080613-169.html
June 13, 2008 at 05:35:20
by Stuart Bechman (Posted by Stuart Bechman) Page 1 of 1 page(s)
http://www.opednews.com
Tell A Friend
Questions Raised About Commitment to Democracy, Secret Deals to Bypass
First Amendment Los Angeles – The Atheist community learned with alarm of a
secret meeting that presumed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama
held with self-proclaimed leaders of the US Christian community this week
after apparently securing the nomination of his party in early June.
"Meeting with Christian groups and leaders in public is perfectly
appropriate for political candidates," said Atheists United president
Stuart Bechman, who went on:
"But meeting with religious leaders behind closed doors only raises serious
suspicions about the candidate's commitment to defending the First
Amendment and the separation of church and state. The timing of the
meetings only make matters worse in that it appears like he is making a
secret pact for their support in the upcoming election season.
"Atheists and all who cherish our rights of government neutrality towards
religion call on all of the presidential candidates to take a strong stand
in defending the First Amendment, and to avoid questions of complicity and
quid-pro-quo special favors from religious leaders." When John F. Kennedy
was running as a candidate for the US presidency, he gave a speech to the
Greater Houston Minsterial Association where he stated: "I believe in an
America where the separation of church and state is absolute."
He also said "
I believe in an America where religious intolerance will someday end--where
all men and all churches are treated as equal."
Kennedy praised those government officials "whose public acts are
responsible to all groups and obligated to none". He stated that religion
was a "private matter" and proudly defended his pledge to be guided by his
conscience and his oath of office rather than by any church official: "I do
not speak for my church on public matters--and the church does not speak
for me."
Over the past eight years, that wall has become seriously eroded. The
trust that the public has placed in our government to defend that wall has
been severely undercut as our elected leaders have not only neglected, but
seemingly proudly flaunted their assaults on that wall.
Mr. Obama has made "change in Washington" the cornerstone of his campaign.
However, by holding secret sessions with religious leaders, Mr. Obama
appears to be repeating the patterns of the current administration and
impugning his credibility to uphold his oath of office.
The United States broke new ground at its founding in creating a wholly
secular constitution that placed its legitimacy and power in the hands of
the people rather than in supernatural beings. It has served the country
well, and has allowed the United States to avoid the religious strife that
racked Europe for so many years.
If Mr. Obama truly wants to bring a change to Washington, we encourage him
to reverse this ominous slide of religious pandering by our elected leaders
and boldly and decisively make a commitment to redraw the line between
religion and government.
***************************************************************
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Historical Reality SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
***************************************************************
.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
****************************************************************
USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
*****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
**************************************************************** |
|
