Monday, April 25, 2005

Someone Needs A History Lesson

We're back to again address this issue regarding the Bill of Rights and the anti-religious zelots. They insist on continuing to use the Bill of Rights as an argument to prove that they should be permitted to demand and recieve special treatment in preventing christians, or any other faith they find "offensive", from practicing their faith when ever and where ever they wish. They keep saying that the Bill of Rights was penned to protect the minority from the majority. NO! This is not correct. Nowhere in any writing of the Bill of Rights, or the Constitution, is it said that the purpose was to protect the minorities from the majorities. It doesn't even imply that. What it does say is that the Bill Of Rights was create by the founding fathers to speifically protect the individual citizen from the government. Specifically, in the case of the first ammendment, they state that congress shall make no law regarding the formation of a religion. This is very specific. Its says nothing about not allowing people to practice a religion on government property, or at government sponsored events, or anywhere for that matter. In fact those actions are specifically forbidden. Sponsoring an event is not congress making a law, it is non-binding on the individuals attending. Each individual is free to participate, or free not to participate for any reason, including that they do not believe, or they do not practice the faith being used at any given time. Its quite simple. They, the founding fathers, also went out of their way to specify in writing that government shall not prevent in any way, any individual from practicing their faith, IE: The free exercise therof. This too is quite clear. It means hands off!! To do otherwise is a violation of the individuals rights. The Bill of Rights is not a tool for either the majority or the minority to use to deny an individuals rights just because they find something offensive. Why is this not clear to some people unless they have an anti-_christian, anti-religious or some other self serving agenda?