Powell: GOP 'polarization' backfired in election.

[kat8585]

what religious freedoms have you lost?

How about the freedom to have religious Christmas displays, anything about Christmas in schools, even to say Merry Christmas (in some stores)? It's hard to even find Christmas cards that say Merry Christmas any more.

[Matthitjah]

Grace to you,

Mr

[MorningGlory]

You claim that because someone cant say a prayer before a football game that we are "handcuffed", I say this is a cheap cop out at the very least. Look at the church during the first couple hundred years after Jesus went back to heaven. They were not handcuffed, they were hunted down an killed, and yet Christianity somehow not only survived but it thrived and spread to the whole world. Look around today at places like China and Islamic countries, places where being a Christian can mean being killed, not just not being able to say a prayer before a football game, and yet in those places Christianity is growing and spreading, while in this country, where we have it the best of anyone in the world, just the opposite is happening. If Christians are handcuffed, it is because we have done it to ourselves and we have no one to blame but us.

It's hard to argue with the above...in fact, it's impossible. We, as Christians, are saying 'we're doomed, they say we can't pray'. What a load of fertilizer! Why let the secular few tell us what we can do, say, or display? If your school board bans Christmas..kick them out. It was done by my local school board just last year. Want to say 'Merry Christmas'? Just do it. Have something to say about gay marriage, abortion or whatever....then say it. If we give away our rights then we deserve to lose them.

[Guest yod]

The point is completely being lost.

Christianity is the only "religion" being targeted for discrimination in America. For the last couple of hundred years, christians have been the majority religion in America and except for a sad decade in Winston-Salem everyone was allowed to worship as their own conscience dictated.

We (speaking as a christian) may have serious disagreement with other religions in the world but have never sought to silence them as liberal/leftists are attempting to do to us since Madeline Murray O'Hare opened that door in the 1960s

Christians have never told jewish people they couldn't display menorahs. We didn't tell Anton Levey he couldn't print the Satanic Bible. We haven't told Wiccans they can't hug trees. We even allow followers of Santaria to have animal sacrifices in this country and christians aren't protesting. We didn't object to people who want to celebrate Kwanzaa, hanukah, or halloween. We might disagree with Bush meeting with muslims in the White House for Ramadan, but we haven't called for that to be outlawed either.

But the reverse is not true in the last 40 years of American history. Our rights as citizens of the USA (not as christians) are being eroded daily and, as citizens of the USA, we have an obligation to stand so the next generation will have an opportunity to hear the gospel without fear of torture or imprisonment as happens in so many nations of the world.

I completely agree that, as christians, we shouldn't be cry babies about it. All I'm saying is that, as Americans, there a new atmosphere in the USA which was created by liberalism and leftists who hate christianity specifically.

There is nothing unAmerican nor "unchristian" about opposing that in a most aggressive way.

[MorningGlory]

I completely agree that, as christians, we shouldn't be cry babies about it. All I'm saying is that, as Americans, there a new atmosphere in the USA which was created by liberalism and leftists who hate christianity specifically.

There is nothing unAmerican nor "unchristian" about opposing that in a most aggressive way.

You're right about that but....if our rights are being eroded it's because we stand for it. Liberalism isn't the greatest enemy of our faith....it's our own failure to stand up for our faith.

[Guest yod]

....it's our own failure to stand up for our faith.

OK then....

NO MORE MR NICE GUY!!!

[nebula]

The point is that the government has started cracking down on religious freedom, and "the public" has accepted this as preferable. What is next?

what religious freedoms have you lost?

I was at a job where I wasn't allowed to have any religious symbols or scriputres on my personal desk.

That to me was a loss of freedom of religion.

Being surrounded by expressions of my love for Jesus is important to me. Being forbidden from that really hurt.

As for teachers, I am against restricting religious freedom. Why? Because kids aren't as stupid as we make them out to be.

I remember as a student, as well as my classmates, wanting to know where our teachers stand on issues. We wanted them to be who they were.

and they still can, they dont have to hide that they are Christians, they just cant push it on their students.

Not true. I've heard reports of teachers getting into trouble for wearing a cross to work. Is that religious freedom?

I don't know what sources you rely on for your statement, but my sources indicate otherwise.

[Matthitjah]

I was at a job where I wasn't allowed to have any religious symbols or scriputres on my personal desk.

That to me was a loss of freedom of religion.

Being surrounded by expressions of my love for Jesus is important to me. Being forbidden from that really hurt.

I understand that it hurt, but that was your employers choice and had nothing to do with rights or freedoms. You did not have to stay at that job. This is not an example of the Govt taking away your freedoms.

Not true. I've heard reports of teachers getting into trouble for wearing a cross to work. Is that religious freedom?

I would like to see that report. If the school did such a thing they were wrong and would lose in court every time.

I don't know what sources you rely on for your statement, but my sources indicate otherwise.

Acquaintances, friends and family members. I have a family that if full of teachers, my sister is a 4th grade teacher.

She was one of 8 finalist for NC Teacher of the Year and she has religious items in her classroom, her students know she is a Christian (her husband is a SBC Pastor!)

My mother is a retired teacher, my Sister-in-law is a teacher, my nephew's new wife is a teacher.

I am member of the local school board and I know what the rules are, I know what can and can

[Guest yod]

My wife is a teacher. Her sister is a teacher. Their mother and grandmother were teachers. My wife left teaching because she believed that she was being discriminated against for being one of the few christians in her school. Her sister has to change schools every year because she gets discrimination from the administrators once they find out she is christian. There is a lot of discrimination that isn't worth a court case....and this is in the buckle of the Bible belt.

There was a new-age lesbian teacher that I befriended some years ago. She was very interested in hearing biblical prophecy for a few years there and wanted me to teach all of her friends so she'd bring me to lunch to meet them after (new-age) church. They were ALL teachers in local community colleges. Every single one of them.

And they didn't share her interest in hearing what the bible had to say in the least. It made her an outcast just to invite me. Everything you've ever heard about new-age beliefs (mysticism, witchcraft, animal worship, etc) you could get in about 15 minutes at their church...yet they think "we" are following a fantasy god????

The teaching profession is THE base of the DNC and headquarters for liberalism and leftists in America. You mentioned the problem with our education is in lower grades and not in the Universities/colleges...but where do you think those teachers come from?

These are the people who are polarizing America....not Rush.

[Guest yod]

These are the people who are polarizing America....not Rush.

In my opinion, they are no more polarizing than you.

You have a US against THEM mentality which can do nothing but polarize and divide people.

This is not how Jesus taught us to act.

This is not how the examples given to us in the Bible showed us how to act.

you have a right to be wrong...and usually are