Warning!! Don't bother opening if you're not of the Christian Faith:>)

[2dream]

reinbeau - What a wonderful post that describes exactly how I feel. I am not of the Christian Faith either but I am not now, nor have I ever been against prayer in any public place, especially our schools. (Our children need roots, faith and morals and to learn tolerance and understanding for each other). Most religions teach those things. Not just the Christian Faiths. But unfortunately it is mostly the Christian Faiths that have come under attack.
At least that is the way these "No Tolerance For any Religion" people make it sound. Truth be told - They do not want any Religion anywhere.
I personally watch Dr. Joyce Meyer with my 88 year old Mother. It makes her happy for me to do so. And at 88 she deserves to be as happy as I can make her. She can't get out and Dr. Joyce has such a wonderful way about her and is so well versed and well spoken I can not imagine anyone wanting her off the air. Besides if they could see the look on my Moms face when she is watching they would be ashamed of themselves.
I realize the email that is posted is a hoax according to Snopes.com. But I also realize that there are really people out there pushing to get the Christian Faith shut down. I will never agree with those people and I will fight them tooth and nail. Because if they can accomplish their goal MY religious freedom will be gone also.
I do wish more people would wake up and see what is happening.
And I agree with Quail - it may not be in my lifetime but I can see the day coming when our reading material will be illegal. It won't just be the Bible.
Oh - and I too will always say Merry Christmas and also Happy Easter - if there are those on the street that don't like it - well, then - OH WELL
Sorry for the long rant - but those people make me furious.

Edited because I can't type - and probably missed some more errors.

 

[Beekissed]

I am not of the Christian Faith - yet I fully support those of you who are. I think it's horrible what is happening to the Christian Faiths (there are many) in this country. I am of the opinion that the term 'Freedom of Religion' means just that, not that it excludes religion from society. I have no problem with people practicing their Christian Faith, nor any of the other good religions out there (no, I won't define good )

I saw this thread when it started and was puzzled. Why exclude those who 'don't believe' from this thread? Freedom to think as we please is one of the founding blocks of this great country. Not everyone who doesn't 'believe' are against those who do. Maybe I'm an anomaly, I dunno..... But I do think you need people like me to stand up for you, because unfortunately there aren't as many 'people of faith' to stand up for these values as there used to be. I truly think this is the root of the downfall of the country, and I am so sad for that.

And I will always say Merry Christmas to one and all, if someone wants to take offense to it then that's their problem!

This thread title probably stems from a small debate on the BYC as to the appropriateness of discussing religion on a Chicken forum (insert SS forum here, in this case) as opposed to the more accepted topics. Some folks feel it has no place on these forums and only causes unnecessary tension and arguments. They want a separate category for, and I quote, "Armegeddon-type" threads, as well as ones about politics.

I don't think the OP was being exclusive, but just cautious about possibly offending anyone who feels the same way?

For now, I don't feel this will even be an issue on this forum, but later, with more diversity of members, I'm sure we will hear a complaint about this type of discussion.

Me? I still live in America and if I want to discuss my Lord, I will do so! If I want to take a thread off topic, its not the end of the world....simmer down about it. If we discuss politics, even though I find the subject abhorent, its real and of a concern to you folks, and I enjoy the passion of your discourse!

 

[FarmerChick]

yea I think all topics are fair game in SS or BYC forums. remember life isn't always about chickens or self sufficiency----we as people are made up of so much more! And faith is a biggie along with other topics......I love to read diverse threads, keeps life interesting. Being smaller we have a great group of posters and we show tolerance to each others feelings....when SS grows, who knows. yikes...could be scary....LOL

 

[miss_thenorth]

Reinbeau, I can't speak for the op, but I think she titled it as she did to prevent being attacked. I'm sure you are aware of how some Christian-related threads have gone on BYC--it turns into a debate(or worse) about religion. A good discussion is going along, then someone who absolutely hates Christians posts, just to be argumentative. I think that is what she was trying to avoid. I really don't think she meant to offend anyone.

As far as oppressing christianity--when I lived in the city and there were more diverse ethnic cultures there--my kids' school was against all religious type discussions.

My son, being the rebel that he is, would do book reports on books of the Bible-Proverbs was one such book. Even though they couldn't celebrate Christmas at his school (then), I was proud of him for choosing Proverbs for a book report.

The school that my kids go to now--small farming community, 98% white, 2%black and no other races/religions. They still say the Lord's prayer in the morning, and during announcements, occasionally read scripts from the Bible. I talked to the principal about it, saying I was impressed, and he said they will continue to do it until they are forced not to.

Yay!!

I do think that this forum is more tolerant--not so quick to anger. Like farmer chick said--life isn't all about chickens and self sufficiency. Faith IS a biggie for some of us. And "we ' are glad that you are tolerant, and even supportive.

 

[reinbeau]

To tell you all the truth I had seen that thread in BYC and thought it was ridiculous - then again, I don't tend to join in in religious discussions because, well, I'm not. And that's ok. I'm sure we can go forward here understanding our need for discussions of all kinds with a good adult attitude and tolerance for each other - heck I don't tolerate anyone here, I celebrate you all! Seriously, I'm thrilled that this forum is going in the direction it's going in, it's such a good mix

 

[miss_thenorth]

- heck I don't tolerate anyone here, I celebrate you all! Seriously, I'm thrilled that this forum is going in the direction it's going in, it's such a good mix

That just made my morning!! I'm going to go do some chores now

 

[MorelCabin]

I did title it this way to avoid offending those who want nothing to do with 'religion'. Thanks so much to those who are not religious that understand:>)
What some non religious people don't realize is by attacking things simply because they are not in agreement, they are setting themselves up for loss of freedoms in the future as well...it is not only religious freedom that will be lost in the end...

ReinBeau and 2dream, thanks for letting people be who they are, I only hope I can be as graceful to subjects I have difficulty understanding:>)

 

[Soybean]

I am not of the Christian faith. I am more leaning towards paganism. But I do not agree with people from ANY faith being attacked. Now, while I would not personally want my children (when I have them) go to a school and be made to say the Lord's Prayer, I don't have any problem with children of the Christian Faith doing so.

I am of the belief that no one religion is right, no one religion in wrong. And so I cannot judge another religion as being any more right or wrong than another. With this belief I can't tell someone they cannot worship, pray, or read from their book.

I personally say Happy Holidays but I am NEVER offended if someone says Merry Christmas back to me. ( I did however have this one woman get pissed off at me for saying Happy Holidays. Not sure why) Because I have friends from all different religions, I just grew up knowing there were more holidays than just Christmas and Easter. And since I am of the pagan belief, I don't feel its right of me to say to someone "Happy Winter Solstice" to customers that come into the store I work at.

I'm rambling here, but my main point is that I don't think anyone should take offense by someone's religion, no matter what it is. I don't think Christians should not be allowed a time in the morning to pray or say a prayer. As long as people from all beliefs are allowed to do their thing (as long as it doesn't harm someone or someone's property) then I'm fine.

And I don't think anyone is coming to take away your Bibles. I don't believe in censorship. I think people have a right to have religious books and symbols. Banning these things is a violation of basic human rights, the right to belief and the practice of religion. I know I wouldn't want anyone coming into my home and taking away my religious books, so why would I wish that on anyone of another faith?

I guess I really am rambling, so I'm going to shut up now.

 

[ScottyG]

I'm also not Christian, but can't resist anything that says I need to keep out.

I do think it's pretty silly to stop people from saying "Merry Christmas" or calling it a Christmas tree. Why should anyone be offended at someone wishing them a happy day? People out in the world need to lighten up about this stuff, and recognize when someone's just trying to be cheery. I'm not Christian, but I go to church with my wife's grandma on Christmas Eve, because she sure loves to have her grandkids there, and it's very sweet to have the whole town singing carols with candles and such. It isn't battery acid, it's religion. It doesn't HURT me, it's just not what I believe. Geeeez.

But also, it seems a little funny to me to think that Christians in America could possibly be "persecuted." We live in a country that has a huge Christian majority. Our President has gone on record as a born-again Christian, and that his personal hero is Jesus, and every single one of our presidents and vice presidents has been a Christian, publicly professing their belief in Jesus Christ. In our courts, witnesses are asked to place their hands upon a Christian bible and swear to tell the truth. Congressional meetings open with an invocation delivered by a Christian minister... Or for a more personal example, I work with high school choirs and bands sometimes. They generally put on 2 concerts a year, and one of those concerts is entirely dedicated to Christmas music. That's right, a full 50% of the music the kids learn in public school is for Christmas. I don't have a problem with that, but I think it shows how dominant and powerful Christianity is in American culture. Every once in a while, they perform a token Jewish song, but that's it for other religious stuff.

Meanwhile, Muslim Americans are being physically threatened and kicked out of organizations left and right, and yelled at on the street to "get the hell out of our country, terrorist." Barack Obama is being called "Muslim" as an insult. He's not, but it horrifies me that it's an insult to be called Muslim in this country. Now that's persecution.

I think just the fact that we have Christmas trees in our schools, no matter what we call them, is evidence that Christianity is not only alive and well in America, but is the dominant religion. When was the last time you saw a Buddhist shrine in our public schools? Or a mural celebrating the right to be an atheist?

I think everyone here has the absolute best intentions in mind, and it's so true that people have gotten a little out of hand with the "holiday tree" and "holiday carol" business. So, no fight-picking from me! I'm so glad everyone who wants to can listen to Christian radio, and wish strangers a merry Christmas! I just wanted to bring up another point on the subject. Happy day to everyone!

 

[PotterWatch]

Scotty, I totally understand what you are saying. I am also not a Christian, but I also think it's silly to say "holiday" tree or some other such nonesense. It's still a Christmas tree for goodness sake... changing the name doesn't change what it is, so why not just leave well enough alone? I don't agree that the bible should be used as a teaching tool in schools (unless you are in a religion class), or that children in public school should be led in the Lord's Prayer. I do think that a moment of silence is a good thing, to give children and staff a chance to pray, or meditate, or whatever else they want to do.

I don't think that I should get reprimanded if I work at Wal-Mart and want to wish a customer "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". It does get wearing to have every clerk, at every store, ask my kids what they want Santa to bring them, but those people are just being nice, so while I get tired of explaining we don't celebrate Christmas, it certainly isn't anything for me to get upset over.

As a Jew, I don't like that other Jews petitioned the courts to have the chanukiah (menorah), seen legally as a non-religious object so that it can legally be displayed on public property alongside the Christmas tree. My chanukiot are religious to me... why do we want to make them secular? People have all sorts of crazy ideas about religion and how it should be in society. I just wish we could all be more respectful and tolerant of each other and our various beliefs.