While the North Carolina House of Representatives has finally killed the bill to allow the state to establish a state religion, a new study found that 34 percent of adults would favor establishing Christianity as the official state religion. While 47 percent opposed the establishment of state religion, it was less than a majority.
Another 11 percent thought that the Constitution allowed for the establishment of an official religion. Thus, they are entirely unaware of the workings of the first amendment or the prior rulings of the Supreme Court.
Republicans were the most likely to favor the establishment of a state religion with 55 percent favoring it in their own state and 46 percent favoring a national constitutional amendment.
While the poll reportedly included 1000 people (a sizable group), I still want to believe that it is skewed and that most people recognize the danger of religious-based government in a world torn apart of sectarian violence. Even if these people lack knowledge of the Constitution, they are given a daily lesson on the dangers of state-sponsored religion in their newspapers and news broadcasts. For those advocating such a change, they leave us with the chilling view that, for some, the problem with abusive theocratic regimes like Iran is simply the disagreement with the choice of the religion.
Source: HuffPost
http://www.liberalslikechrist.org/about/Goldwater.html
I completely agree that the Religious Right is completely irrational and insane on the issue. Its a shame we cannot ship them off the island along with the anti-2nd left. Our country would fare far better without the two groups.
Rafflaw’s comment about the Taliban is right on. I was thinking about that this morning.
I “like” Mike Huckabee on facebook to see what he writes. He is, to me, a perfect example of the way groups like Taliban work. He has the “authority” of his ministership as well as a good platform to espouse his lies, exaggerations, distortions, and sometimes apparent (outright) hatred of the dems and the president.
The comments are filled with ‘right ons’ and more hatred expressed, often within the context of G-d and ‘christianity’. Rarely do I not see at least one comment, and rare that it is only one, that We need to being the Lord to America, People must be brought into compliance with G-d’s Law, and so on.
We have (had I hope) the Jesus camps. Bring them early on into this hogwash of ‘America is a Christian nation and Christians are at war with America to bring them into the “light”.’ Add this to the ignorance of those who hadn’t a scintilla of an idea that the Constitution does not allow for the establishment of an official religion and it seems we are on the way already to having American Taliban for Christianity. Thankfully they may be too ignorant to be able to figure out how to go about it.
Number of Privately Owned Firearms
The estimated total number of guns held by civilians in Switzerland is 3,400,0001
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Rate of Civilian Firearm Possession per 100 Population
The rate of private gun ownership in Switzerland is 45.71 firearms per 100 people
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Number of Privately Owned Firearms – World Ranking
In a comparison of the number of privately owned guns in 178 countries, Switzerland ranked at No. 222
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Rate of Privately Owned Firearms per 100 Population – World Ranking
In a comparison of the rate of private gun ownership in 178 countries, Switzerland ranked at No. 31
Tony C I agree that their method was effective. However the Egyptian people DO have guns. They did not use them but if they did not have them to defend themselves with, the crackdowns would have been much more severe. Do not delude yourself into believing that it would not have happened.
If a dog runs up to you snarling and acting as if he is going to bite you, you would be afraid and move. But if you knew that the dog had no teeth you would be much less afraid.
Another example, the Jews were forbidden to own guns in Nazi Germany. How did that work out for them.
One of the saddest things to me is the fall of the Democratic party.
It is startling how a faction of it can be so incredibly hostile towards the 2nd Amendment and then in the same breath profess undying loyalty to the dangerous Fascism of Obama. The hypocrisy is unbelievable. I cannot take anyone serious who supports Obama. These are people who spent 8 years of angst and outrage while Bush was in office. Now that Bush is a black man, they love him. Disturbing.
G.Mason: If the people did not have guns at their disposal they would not have been able to force the govt to step down.
Which people? I do not recall the Egyptian protesters having any pitched gun battles; they didn’t beat the Army.
They forced the government to step aside by disrupting the economics of the country with their protests, refusing to work and causing businesses to fail. If you cause enough economic damage, the rich people at the top of the economic ladder, that the government really cares about, will demand the government do enough to stop costing them money and to get people back to work. The Egyptian protests were costing Egypt billions of dollars economically, not just in tourist trade but across the business spectrum, and that was being drained from the pockets of some very rich and very influential people.
Guns do not matter in modern industrialized countries, and do not stand a chance against modern armies with modern tech. Dollars rule these countries, and the way to prevail is not by force of arms, but by costing the rich so much money that “freedom” is suddenly in their best economic interest.
Bill H, I agree. It is sadly ironic that the religious right has hijacked the Conservative movement. Barry Goldwater warned against this very thing.
It is a shame he died. We could use him about now.
mespo, that was a different era and the left other than guys like Bill Ayers were largely peaceful. Hippies. The right was in no rush to defend Hippies. Times are changing. Even now alot of the right, not all but alot were growing upset with how the OWS was treated. Those not blinded by the propaganda by people the likes of Rush Limbaugh that is.
While the Tea Party certainly has its fair share of religious zealots the same way that the OWS has its share of mouth foaming anti 2nd people, it is still a large group of people who do not want to see Big Brother being put into our lives. That is the common ground.
If only the rage blinded bigots on both sides could unite to defend our Bill of Rights instead of attack the 1st and 2nd.
Fascism is by far the greatest threat to this nation at this time. Nothing else comes close. Not even our impending economic crash.
They want to create the society from which the founders of this country fled.
I also want to add that I do believe we will see a Revolution in this country in the not too distant future. if you do not see it you are not paying attention. We have lost too much already and people on both sides of the aisle are starting to realize it.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/08/18/tea-party-is-it-the-christian-right-in-disguise.html I think they would establish a largely evangelical religion with a tolerance for some orthodox catholics in the vein of Rick Santorum and Ken Cuccinelli. Christianist politicians like Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Rick Santorum would be their leaders. If they included women, Sarah Palin, a well known gun owning dominionist, would fit the bill.
“The entire population would revolt if the US government fired upon American people in the streets.”
********************
They didn’t in more liberal times in the 70s:
Btw I in no way advocate violence. Egypt proved you do not need violence to overthrow tyranny. But make no mistake. If the people did not have guns at their disposal they would not have been able to force the govt to step down.
“That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it, can be directed by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore, all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.”
George Mason
Mike, I do not dismiss any attacks upon the Bill of Rights. They are all crucial. My point was not to diminish the assault upon the first but only to point out that the assault upon the 2nd should not be dismissed in retaliation either. We are playing partisan politics with the Bill of Rights and it is quite frankly, asinine.
I also disagree with you about the governments ability to stave off a Revolution. In fact I would argue the government would not only lose such a fight, but they would be thoroughly trounced.
You grossly overestimate the governments power in that hypothetical setting. No less than half the military would instantly defect. There are guns in half the households of the US. The size of the military force is much smaller than you realize. The entire population would revolt if the US government fired upon American people in the streets.
It would indeed be a slaughter, but not in the way you think.
Mike S.,
you are right that the erasure of Civics courses was an intentional act.
Matthew Seniff makes a good point when he asks which particular sect of Christianity do these people envision as a State religion? Do they see Christianity as the Federal Religion, if so which version? Do they see each State choosing its own State religion? Utah would be Mormon, Georgia would be Southern Baptist and Rhode Island Catholic? What this poll exposes to me, if indeed it was a well done poll, is that these 34% have o idea at all about the Constitution and our system of government. Their response, to possibly a badly phrased question, was made with no thought at all as to the mechanics involved. As many commentators have said, including Dredd and G.Mason, the problem lies with the erasure of Civics courses from our school curricula. In my opinion this was not done accidentally.
George Santayana was right. They don’t know or understand history, so they are trying to repeat it. This country was founded by people fleeing theocracies. Now a third of the population wants to impose one?
And to think they fear Sharia Law.
such polls are silly nonsense. They are completely meaningless. You will get the exact result you want.
If the poll came out differently, then there wouldn’t have been an article which would spread like this one.
No, the “poll” is without merit
And of course a poll of 1000 is hardly accurate in regards to what the country thinks.