Free Republic

We live in an increasingly secularized world of massive and pervasive nation states in which traditional religion, especially Christianity, is ruled unwelcome and even a real danger on the basis of a purported history of intolerance and “religious violence.” This is found in most all “public” domains, including the institutions of education, business, government, welfare, transportation, parks and recreation, science, art, foreign affairs, economics, entertainment, and the media. A secularized public square policed by government is viewed as providing a neutral, rational, free, and safe domain that keeps the “irrational” forces of religion from creating conflict and darkness. And we...

"See I have given before you today life and good and death and bad." (From this week's Torah portion, Netzvim, Deuteronomy 30:15) Don't we know that life is good and death is bad? Not really. Our natural will is to stop living and to merely exist. In other words, to stop working and to just be passive; to shed responsibility. To live, we must preserve a state of separation or differentiation. The world was created in a process that separated light from darkness, heaven from earth and land from water. A living organism lives in the same way: it is...

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, have separated, with Shriver moving out of their Brentwood mansion while the two determine the next step in their 25-year marriage. Shriver has been residing apart from the actor-turned-politician for the last few weeks. The former first couple confirmed the separation in a joint statement released Monday after questions were raised by The Times. "This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us," the statement read. "After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision together. At this time,...

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver have announced they are separating after 25 years of marriage. In a shock announcement the couple, who have four children together, released a joint statement saying they were living apart while they 'worked on the future' of their marriage. Shriver helped bolster Schwarzenegger's campaign eight years ago to become California Governor. She stood by the Terminator actor at the time amid claims he groped a string of women during his movie career. The Los Angeles Times broke the story late on Monday night saying that Shriver is 'moving out of their Brentwood mansion...

In international politics, religion has been the elephant in the room for most of the modern age. And in recent years, it has only grown larger and louder. And in recent years, it has only grown larger and louder. The authors of God Is Back are an exception. They admit that religion is here to stay and seek to find out what it is really all about... In the twentieth century, a worldwide march of the Jacobins' heirs attempted to get rid of God once and for all.... The revolutionaries who founded the American republic respected God without patronizing him....

Since their national debut on the Hannity Show, I have been swamped with patriots wanting to know my opinion of the Black Tea Party. Some are offended by blacks separating themselves. From my understanding, these black patriots are not separating themselves. They are simply hosting tea parties in urban areas. I say, "Right on!" There is a saying, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". In principle, I would prefer not to have a "black" tea party, Republican club, etc. However, there is a catastrophically destructive vicious fire breathing dragon wreaking havoc across America named Obama-zilla. Daily, Obama-zilla is...

The battle over America's Judeo-Christian identity is heating up, and at least one author isn't taking the fight lying down. Two new books from best-selling author Brad O'Leary put the lie to secularist claims that America is not a Christian nation and that Christianity isn't under an intense attack. "God and America's Leaders" is the definitive collection of quotations by our Founding Fathers and past presidents on matters pertaining to God, Jesus Christ and Christianity. This invaluable resource leaves no doubt that America's top leaders were men of faith, and that ultimately, their strong faith in God inspired their faith...

I am not against children having fun or getting candy; however, why isn’t Halloween a violation of the so-called “separation of church and state?” If someone argues that the children in public schools are oblivious to the religious significance (to Christians, Wiccans and Satanists) of Halloween and are just having fun, then why can’t the same be argued for children participating in a Christmas or Easter party? If the names Christmas and Easter had to be changed to winter break and spring break, then why shouldn’t all references to Halloween also be changed to fall festival — or some other...

America was created by our Founding Fathers, a group of strikingly intelligent men. As they wrestled with the leviathan task of penning the documents that would lay the foundation for a sovereign constitutional republic, they used their brilliant minds to write as concisely, as clearly, and as succinctly as they could. Proof of this can be found in the relative brevity of our Constitution. That a document so comparatively short could contain such previously unimaginable gravitas as to guide what would become the greatest, most prosperous nation on the face of Earth for more than two centuries surely proves their...

Who's Hiding Behind Jefferson's "Wall"? Certainly NOT God! Many folks misapply the "wall" quote from Thomas Jefferson. Some seem to suggest that Jefferson favored a situation similar to what we find ourselves in today. Federal judicial tyranny. (Yes, charging "tyranny" sounds provocative today. But I still agree with Tom on that assessment.) Eliminating mentions of God from every level and function of government and in the public square generally is NOT at all what Jefferson was talking about when he made the "wall of separation" comment. While some might be agenda driven, many make the mistaken claims out of simple...

A California elementary school principal given disciplinary action for appearing in a promotional for a teachers prayer breakfast is suing, claiming he did “absolutely nothing wrong,” lawyers said. Craig Richter, principal of FootHill School and a Christian, appeared in a short video promoting the Santa Barbara Community Prayer Breakfast, which was organized to honor educators. A member of his school district, Goleta Union, viewed the video on Youtube and the district later deemed that Richter had violated the separation of church and state, threatened to end his contract and placed him on a disciplinary performance plan. “The district’s contention that...

Right on the heels of the announcement that David Arquette and wife Courteney Cox are in the midst of a trial separation after 11 years of marriage, Arquette decided to call in to Howard Stern’s. Arquette, 39, told Stern of Cox, 46. “She’s the greatest woman I’ve ever met. I’m not the one who called this separation.” Arquette went on to explain that Cox gave him a motorcycle after their 11th wedding anniversary and told him, “I don’t want to be your mother anymore.” When the couple headed to Ann Arbor, Michigan to film “Scream 4,” Arquette said he was...

It's right on time that the German Bundestag takes up the battle against the Society of St. Pius X using the tried and true methods of before. [kreuz.net] The faction of the German Melon-Party 'Greens' have brought a 'modest proposal' to the Bundestag. This was reported by 'German Bundestages'. The 'green' Antichristians would like to bring to disclosure, if the German government would acknowledge the application of "extremist views of the Society of Pius X". The Society of St. Pius X is an internationally active organization of traditional believers. The 'Greens' would like to portray them as Anti-German enemies of...

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee wants the State Department to explain its use of taxpayer funds to purchase and distribute Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s book What’s Right With Islam. “Certainly Senate Foreign Relations Committee members will want some briefing from the State Department,” Andy Fisher, the spokesman for Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations told HUMAN EVENTS. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass), the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had no immediate reaction to the controversy. On the House side, Rep. Ilena Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), ranking Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, is “looking into...

First, My apologies, Mod. I couldn't help myself. If this were turned around, everyone from the ACLU to the Alphabet networks would be screaming bloody murder. They are paying a the leader of a theocratic belief system to go interface with his kind. If they were paying a religious leader to go deal with religious leaders, holy hell would break out.

By the year 1702 all 13 American colonies had some form of state-supported religion. This support varied from tax benefits to religious requirements for voting or serving in the legislature. Below are excerpts from colonial era founding documents citing these religious references. Most instances of state-supported religion were removed before 1850, and the remaining requirements became null and void after the passing of the 14th Amendment on July 28, 1868. New Hampshire and North Carolina removed the nullified religious references from their state constitutions in 1875 and 1877 respectively. [Much more at the linked site]

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 28% of Adults believe it is at least somewhat likely that some states will try to leave the United States and form an independent country over the next 25 years or so.

... "We ask for respect for our privacy and that of our family, and we do not intend to comment further." Gore's spokeswoman later confirmed the validity of the e-mail.... The news stunned many political watchers -- the duo's mutually affectionate manner on the campaign trail did much to enliven Al Gore's stuffy image -- but also good friends. "I'm shocked -- beyond shocked," said Chris Downey, a close friend for many years who said she spoke to Tipper last week. "This is the least likely course of events I could imagine." ... The Los Angeles Times reported last month...

<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, are separating after 40 years of marriage.</p>

Former US Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper are separating after 40 years of marriage. The 2000 Democratic presidential candidate and his wife cited "a mutual and mutually supportive decision", in an email to friends. Mr Gore, Bill Clinton's vice president, won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change. Mrs Gore is a longtime advocate on mental health issues. The couple married in May 1970. Ask for privacy The couple, who were both born in the Washington area and met there, have been living in Tennessee. They have

Delegates Say They Want to Send a Strong Message to White House RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia's General Assembly is the first in the nation to approve legislation that bucks any attempt by President Barack Obama and Congress to implement the national health care overhaul in states like Virginia...

What is interesting are the emails I get from my American readers, particularly from the Pacific Northwest and Texas. It seems the thirst to escape living under a big government, socialist system extends beyond international borders. Without fail every article receives at least one "...let's both separate and join together", referring to Alberta and whichever state they live in.

Tiger Woods' wife Elin will separate from the golfing superstar after Christmas, a UK tabloid has claimed. Quoting an unnamed close friend of Elin, the News of the World newspaper said the 29-year-old former Swedish model plans to return to Sweden and was in talks with divorce lawyers. But she would spend Christmas with her golfing husband for the sake of their two children, it was reported. "In the short-term they'll act like any other loving couple," the newspaper quoted the friend as saying. "Elin won't break it all up right away. But she does need some time alone to...

Vanity, Many of you have some good comments and different perspectives. I would like to get a few of you, if you have time, to leave a comment or two on our blog about Separation of Church and State. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This is the 1st Amendment from our Constitution and the section of this I wish to...

A few months ago, I wrote “The Danish Civil War”, a fictional scenario which served to structure a consideration of various issues relating to the rise of Islam in Europe and the likely consequences thereof. The essay finished with the conclusion that Islam constituted an existential threat to the survival of European civilization, and that Islam’s influence on Europe therefore needed to be eliminated. It further concluded that, logically speaking, the various ways of achieving this goal could be broadly subdivided into three categories: 1) inducing Muslims to leave of their own free will, 2) mass deportations, and 3) genocide....

Years ago, a family therapist was asked, “What are the top three causes of divorce?” to which he replied, “Selfishness, selfishness, selfishness!” Of course this is an oversimplification of the varied and many contributing factors to divorce but there is an element of truth in this statement that permeates each. At the core of all that ails the human race is selfishness: this innate love of self-self-worship-or pride. We alienate ourselves from one another when we elevate our desires, our opinions, and our feelings above others. We cheat and steal because we want, we lie and deceive because we give...

On March 13, 2008, we had this to say when then-New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, resigned after getting caught patronizing high-priced prostitutes: His fall "reminds voters that politicians comprise the last class of people worthy of the deification they are afforded. ... Mr. Spitzer's downfall underscores how politicians care less about public service than getting elected and re-elected, and amassing power with all its corrupting influences. It shows how the incessant flattery of journalists and regal treatment of subordinates creates egomaniacs who believe themselves entitled to special treatment and exempt from everyday laws. Most of all, it emphasizes...

In writing about Obama's pietism I pointed out that "The self-worshiping American power elite that Obama represents has promoted a false understanding of the proper relationship between piety and politics based on the shibboleth of separation." Why do I call the assertion that the U.S. Constitution requires separation of Church and state false? The phrase "separation of church and state" occurs nowhere in the Constitution of the United States. The false understanding promoted under the idea of separation distracts from the more accurate concept of religious freedom actually set forth in the Constitution. The first amendment simply makes it clear...

Today I received a message from WBTA V.P. Daniel Doherty which should put the issue to rest. Doherty confirmed that the WBTA has received correspondence from Johnston in which he officially resigned his position.

Back then, the issues were the usual suspects: the flawed multi-cultural policy that has exposed gaps in our national security, forced English/French bilingualism, the national attitudes towards the West (Lesson One: stereotyping an Albertan on the CBC is comedy, stereotyping a French Quebecer is racism. Test to follow).....

Once thought of as a fringe movement populated mostly by the far rightwing and the over 50 crowd, those Albertans who now publicly support the idea of independence in the face of yet another Eastern hijacking of national power – and an unmistakable rejection of Albertan and Western Canadian values – are from every background, race, religion, and financial spectrum.

As the partisan Legislative branch seeks to invade the inner offices of the Executive, a review of the separation of powers issue is timely: “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny. Were the federal Constitution, therefore, really chargeable with the accumulation of power, or with a mixture of powers, having a dangerous tendency to such an accumulation, no further arguments would be necessary to inspire a universal reprobation of the system. I...

The City of North Lauderdale is taking a tough stance on home rule, and because of this they are spearheading an effort to split Florida into two states. They have passed a resolution, asking that a boundary line to split South Florida from the rest of the state be drawn at the Palm Beach County line. They're taking it so seriously that they want counties in South Florida, such as Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe to join in supporting them. CBS4 viewers responded enthusiastically, and often humorously, when asked to submit a motto for the new state of South Florida.

WASHINGTON - Pope Benedict XVI presided over a Mass celebrated in 10 languages Thursday, calling the United States a land of opportunity and hope but decrying that the nation's promise has been left unfulfilled for some. At the first public Mass of his U.S. pilgrimage, Benedict mixed praise for the American experience with an effort to touch consciences, something he has been doing since the start of his trip on Tuesday. More than 45,000 people filled Nationals Park on a clear spring day, as the pope, wearing scarlet vestments, led the service from an altar erected in centerfield of the...

The famous 6 degrees of separation theory fades under scrutiny. It’s rare for a sociological study to wind up a part of pop culture, but that’s what has happened to Stanley Milgram’s “small world” study, which posits that all of the people on the planet are connected to one another through an average of six acquaintances—or through six degrees of separation. The first popular use of Milgram’s study was the John Guare play Six Degrees of Separation, which was later made into a movie. Then came the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game, created by college students, in which players...

There is NO separation of Church and State, for by the very signatures upon the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, worded to affirm the guidance, blessings and protection of our God/Creator upon our nation, the founders and early state acknowledged recognition of church [religion] for all the people and the state. If the signers were for "separation" they would have re-wrote both documents to eliminate all references to God/Creator. Affixing their signatures without prejudice and bias to God/Creator upon the very foundational documents of this country, the collaborative influence of church upon the state was sanctified. Also, references to God/Creator...

The fact-pattern: Christianity Today publishes an article entitled "When to Separate What God has Joined: A Closer Reading on the Bible on Divorce" which attempted to revise the biblical teaching on these questions so that it could be reconciled to the modern prevalence of divorce in secular societies well as Evangelical circles. David Van Biema covers the story for Time magazine, and it has become one of the most popular articles being read on the Internet. My take: A false assumption plagues this piece from the outset (all underlining mine): Last month, the cover story of the monthly Christianity...

North Dakota Is Sued in Church-State Case By NEELA BANERJEE Published: June 21, 2007 A group that advocates strict separation of church and state has sued North Dakota to bar public financing of an association that provides therapeutic and rehabilitative services for troubled youth by steeping them in Christian teachings, Bible readings, religious services and rituals. The complaint was brought Tuesday in a federal court in North Dakota by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, acting on behalf of three of the state’s taxpayers. It is the most recent in a spate of legal challenges to public financing of religion-based programs.

On Sunday, Christian baseball fans will stream into Dodger Stadium for what is becoming more common fare at professional ballparks across the country -- "faith day." Following the Dodgers vs. Rockies game, fans with special tickets will gather in a corner of the parking lot for a concert by the Christian rock band Hawk Nelson, an appearance by characters from the "Veggie Tales" Christian television program and testimonials by several devout Dodgers. The purpose, according to event organizer Brent High, is to promote the Gospel of Jesus. ...Critics of the Christianizing of pro sports -- including interfaith groups, Jewish leaders...

This post is a follow up to the previous post, the lowdown about church & state separation. The following essay goes into more detail about the Supreme Court's scandalous interpretation of the religious aspects of the 14th Amendment. I will start this discussion of the folly of politically correct interpretations of the 14th A. by reluctantly agreeing with the main reason that I believe that atheists and secularists cheerlead the Supreme Court's perverted, 10th A.-ignoring interpretations of the establishment clause and the religious aspects of the 14th Amendment. The problem is that it's hard to find judges that interpret religion-related...

One in three American children live in fatherless homes. One out of three. This is a national disaster. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Census Bureau: 63 percent of all youth suicides; 71 percent of pregnant teenagers; 85 percent of all youth in prisons; 90 percent of all homeless and runaway children; and 71 percent of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. Those sobering numbers represent the "what" of fatherless homes. Perhaps you have heard some of these numbers before. But what you...

ALLENTOWN, Pa.- A couple who grew apart and had agreed to split up were reunited by a life-threatening crisis. After more than 10 years of marriage, Chip and Cindy Altemos agreed about 5 years ago to separate, see other people, and begin divorce proceedings. But when 48-year-old Chip was hospitalized with kidney failure in September, Cindy, 49, offered him one of hers.

[...] Everyone wants a patron saint. "It's like a wave we are witnessing," he said. He pulled out a recent letter from the church's patriarch, Alexy II, approving a request from Rus, a special forces police unit long involved in controversial counterterrorism operations in Chechnya, that the legendary 13th-century military commander and saint Alexander Nevsky be named its patron. [...] Moribund during the Soviet era, the Orthodox Church has been reborn as a powerful force in Russian life, building congregations across the country. The church has also become increasingly identified with a strand of patriotism that celebrates a strong centralized...

On a recent warm spring day, four T.C. Williams High School students sat sweating inside a Jeep Cherokee in the parking lot of a Baptist church scarfing slices of pizza. Scores of their classmates streamed into the church in search of the same pizza. Jesus Pizza. Jesus Pizza, as the students call it, is warm. It's good. It's free. And it's available to T.C. students for lunch every Wednesday at the First Baptist Church of Alexandria. Some weeks, as many as 150 or more students trek the half-mile down King Street from the school to lounge on old couches, thumb...

Cultural clashes involving Islam have recently made headlines in Minnesota. At the airport, some Muslim taxi drivers refuse to transport passengers carrying alcohol; at Target stores, some Muslim cashiers won't scan pork products. Now there's a new point of friction: Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Its officials say the college, a public institution, has a strict policy of not promoting religion or favoring one religion over another. "The Constitution prevents us from doing this in any form," says Dianna Cusick, director of legal affairs. But that seems to depend on your religion. Where Christianity is concerned, the college goes to...

A local paper reports that a drill at Burlington Township High School in New Jersey involved police portraying mock gunmen, described as "members of a right-wing fundamentalist group called the 'New Crusaders' who don't believe in the separation of church and state." The fake gunmen were said to have been "seeking justice because the daughter of one [member] had been expelled for praying before class." Historian and constitutional expert David Barton is president of WallBuilders, a national pro-family organization that distributes historical, legal, and statistical information and helps citizens become

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi toured Jerusalem holy sites Saturday alongside a congressional delegation that included the first Muslim elected to Congress. The tour was part of the congressional delegation's first full day in Jerusalem, the first stop on their fact-finding trip to the Middle East. The group arrived here Friday. Flanked by security guards, Pelosi, D-Calif., and the delegation toured the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christians believe Jesus' body was buried, in Jerusalem's Old City. They also visited the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, where Jews have gathered for centuries to pray. Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison...

Ground zero for today's social unrest concerning c&s separation issues, in my opinion, is Justice Black. Justice Black made a career, it seems, out of rewriting history in order to misrepresent the intentions of constitutional lawmakers, both the ratifiers of the Bill of Rights and the post Civil War 14th Amendment lawmakers. He misrepresented their intentions concerning religious related statutes, particularly ignoring the 10th A. power of the states to address religious issues. More specifically, he misrepresented their intentions in order to sell his treasonous interpretations of both the establishment clause and the religious aspects of the 14th Amendment. The...

Disenchantment and growing irritation with the U.S. South could lead northern American states to seek a union with Canadian provinces, writes Stéphane Kelly In 1891, the intellectual Goldwin Smith caused a furor when he published Canada and the Canadian Question. He suggested that if Canadians believed in the democratic ideal, they must accept the inevitable: Annexation of Canada by the American republic. The writer noted that the divide created by the English Civil War, which pitted Puritans against Cavaliers, had replicated itself in North America. Canadians embraced the aristocratic ideal of the Cavaliers while Americans held dear the democratic ideal...

EDITORIAL & COMMENTS PAGE Editor: Raymond Solomon NOVEMBER, 2006 Get Your JESUS Out Of My Politics! Here's a challenge to USA Today: "Just say it." No need for a calendar to know that it is an election season. The vast-mega-liberal-press is sprinkled, once again, with stories about how truly unfashionable it must be to include God in your political decisions. USA Today felt it necessary to hire a cartoonist to conjure up an image of the Cross of Christ for the occasion. The G.O.P. Elephant, graces the top of it. Squinting with narrow eyes, the little evangelical man holding the...