Congressman to use Koran at swearing-in

[Frances Bavier]

The First Amendment demands that the United States not have an official religion. I don't have to like him using the Qu'ran for me to defend his right to use it in his swearing-in ceremony. His use of it is affirmation that the First Amendment works.

 

Extremely well said. This is exactly why America is as strong as it is.

 

No one - absolutely no one - can dictate what any of us believes, thinks, or says. It is our right to openly dissent, to express our views, and to be heard at the ballot box that guarantees (among other things) our right to worship as we see fit.

 

Those rights were paid for with the blood of many Americans - representing every race, the Christian faith, the Jewish faith, the Muslim faith, agnostics, atheists, Buddhists, etc.

 

 

Frances

[AHSPanther23]

Extremely well said. This is exactly why America is as strong as it is.

 

No one - absolutely no one - can dictate what any of us believes, thinks, or says. It is our right to openly dissent, to express our views, and to be heard at the ballot box that guarantees (among other things) our right to worship as we see fit.

 

Those rights were paid for with the blood of many Americans - representing every race, the Christian faith, the Jewish faith, the Muslim faith, agnostics, atheists, Buddhists, etc.

 

 

Frances

 

I agree with you Frances 110% :ylsuper: America supports all religions not just one specific. Many should be amazed that in 217 years since the Consititution was written that it is still flexible with our time as it was then with their time.

[Frances Bavier]

Can you imagine any country where one could "do as we please"? [/Quote] Yes - I can imagine it. It is called "America".

 

 

It's getting to where we are forced to NOT pray in school or anywhere outside our homes or churches, especially if you are Christian. [/Quote] I respectfully disagree, Skinpig. Anyone that wishes to pray in school is free to do so. The prayers simply cannot be mandated by the school (or it's personnel). Incidentally, those prayers can be directed to the God of your choice - not one chosen for you by our government.

 

 

Say what you want, I believe this country was founded with GOD in mind ...[/Quote] I'll leave this to Hatz, who (as a man of the cloth) does an excellent job of addressing the issue.

 

 

... and I believe a government must govern morally too. [/Quote] I agree. I would ask, though, whose morals we choose in those areas that we disagree on? We can all agree that items such as murder are morally wrong, but what do we do when we get to items of controversy?

 

 

... This could go on and on but I will never believe the koran has any place in the United States Government.

And just as our founding fathers structured it, I will never believe that any one belief system should be adopted as the state religion.

 

 

 

Frances

[AHSPanther23]

I respectfully disagree, Skinpig. Anyone that wishes to pray in school is free to do so. The prayers simply cannot be mandated by the school (or it's personnel). Incidentally, those prayers can be directed to the God of your choice - not one chosen for you by our government.

 

Frances

 

Wasn't there a couple of court cases on this back in the 90's, with one that dealt with student lead prayers, and one with religious official leading prayers?

[Frances Bavier]

There have probably been quite a few, over the years. One of our members with a legal leaning could answer that one better than I could.

 

 

Frances

[02Ram54]

If you're convinced that all of our founding fathers were completely reverant of the Bible, you should brush up on your Thomas Jefferson.

[Bandit29]

The Holy Bible is what our fore fathers intended our congressman to be sworn in with. If the koran is used they will roll over in their graves. I can't believe it's even being considered. I'm amazed that some of you will go along with such an idea. Freedom of religion is one thing, changing my country, my schools and my government so it appeases others is what makes me sick. I have to agree with Prager on this one.

 

"One Nation Under GOD" not allah or whatever they call it.

 

:ylsuper:

 

Great post Pig! I can't believe people as so quick to go along with this.

[All Tell]

Dennis Prager . What an Idiot . We are guaranteed freedom of religion in the United States . It pertains to everyone no just Christians Ellison as a Muslim has every right to use the Koran to take his oath of office . If it were a Jewish congressman I bet they would use a copy of the Old Testament and not the King james version of the Bible . As a Catholic I would want to use a Douai version of the Bible not the King James version .

Dennis Prager is a lot of thing but he is no idiot.

 

He is Jewish, he has said that it is not for the religious significance of the Bible that he objects, rather the traditional use of the bible. Jews have in fact been sworn in on Bibles containing the New Testement as have people who are avowed athiests. It only seems to have become an issue when the first Muslim is to be sworn in and I find that offensive.

[02Ram54]

Dennis Prager is a lot of thing but he is no idiot.

 

He is Jewish, he has said that it is not for the religious significance of the Bible that he objects, rather the traditional use of the bible. Jews have in fact been sworn in on Bibles containing the New Testement as have people who are avowed athiests. It only seems to have become an issue when the first Muslim is to be sworn in and I find that offensive.

Offensive? Really?

 

If that offends you, I don't know how you make it in the world. A Muslim man would rather use his holy book to be sworn in than the book of another religion. He's not asking that Christians use the Koran, or that no one use a religious book.

 

I really can't see that as offensive. I'd rather he swore on something he believed in, personally.

[Habib]

Dennis Prager is a lot of thing but he is no idiot.

 

He is Jewish, he has said that it is not for the religious significance of the Bible that he objects, rather the traditional use of the bible. Jews have in fact been sworn in on Bibles containing the New Testement as have people who are avowed athiests. It only seems to have become an issue when the first Muslim is to be sworn in and I find that offensive.

 

Have any of them protested or asked to use something else? I don't know I'm just asking.

[Incognito]

Just a little side note: I received an email the other day where schools were asking permission to sing our national anthem in spanish.

 

Any comments on that?

[Habib]

Just a little side note: I received an email the other day where schools were asking permission to sing our national anthem in spanish.

 

Any comments on that?

 

I really don't know why you would want to sing it in Spanish :confused:

[SilverShadow]

If this Congressman is able to conduct the government's business in a moral and ethical effort, then maybe we should require more than a few conservative Christians who have made major ethical lapses in judgement to swear on his book, instead!:thumb:

[swamprat]

Just a little side note: I received an email the other day where schools were asking permission to sing our national anthem in spanish.

 

Any comments on that?

Sounds like a great topic for an new thread.

[gametime]

Wow. That's all I've got...