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Why is it so hard to understand the meaning of "freedom of religion" in this country? It simply means that our citizens are free to believe in whatever concept of God they wish to believe in. It also means that they NEED NOT believe in any such concept, if that’s their choice. An Atheist or an Agnostic is entitled to his or her stance, and is just as likely to be a good American as is a Christian, a Jew, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist, and so on, through countless cults, as indeed they are by every definition of the word "cult".
Although this may be lost on many, it is NOT illegal in this country to have absolutely no supernatural beliefs. And, by the way, God is a supernatural concept, just as is a ghost. I capitalize the word "God" because, as an Agnostic, I leave open the possibility that there may be more to life and mortality than I will ever understand. Further, if there is a God responsible for my being here, then I can only conclude that He must expect me to use my "God-given" attribute of intelligence to examine life and draw conclusions. I am neither wise enough to be able to understand all things, nor am I gullible enough to accept anything without proof. And, no, that wonderful work of historical literature, the Bible, does not offer proof, only the carefully selected words of man.
Our founding fathers, although mainly Christians, realized that it is important to keep matters of church and state (government) separate. There should be no overlap, whereby one religious group can have more to say than any other, including non-believers in the tenets of any other group. It should be noted that all good Americans pay taxes, regardless of their religious beliefs. Therefore, none of this tax money should be used to solely promote the beliefs of any other taxpaying group of citizens. For example, the words, "In God We Trust" serve the interests of those citizens who believe in God. If it is tax money that pays to have these words inscribed anywhere, on a coin, a bill, or a building, it does not serve the interest of taxpayers who do not believe in God. Period! If school prayer appears meaningless or contrary to the beliefs of any pupils, then those ears should not have to hear prayer. Period! If a church, temple, shrine, or mosque serves the interests of a special group, then, obviously, tax money should not help build or support that structure. Period!
And this last issue is a knotty one, because tax relief given such selectively oriented groups is not shared by non-participants in the religious ceremonies of such groups or cults. Within these religions, the spending of money on real estate, art works and other investments often results in vast profits to the religious organization, and it is virtually impossible to differentiate between what profits are entitled to untaxable status, and which funds are not. In fairness to all Americans, absolutely NO tax relief should be granted to any religious organization, unless the closest of scrutiny can discern exactly what funds are of a clearly charitable nature. All things considered, this is expecting too much of individual integrity and morality, in today’s world, where many clerics are child molesters, and religious dissension causes more deaths and suffering in wars than does any other precipitant.
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RickMack (jotoma@bellsouth.net)
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©
July
2004
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