I agree to a point. That’s why I mentioned the struggle to maintain the balance. If people aren’t ready to stand up for people’s right to worship and freedom of speech {also in the first amendment} then they’re no better than those they rail against who they claim violate the separation of church and state. I heard of a student being told not to carry his Bible around at school because that violates church and state. By a teacher no less. What a load.
I’ve heard the voting thing you mentioned to. What a ridiculous suggestion. To be fair consider how long Non Christians have been discriminated against in this country with very few standing up for them. What you and other Christians might be experiencing is only a hint of what others have experienced in this very country by a Christian population who assumed it was their right to have things their way, often oblivious of what harm they might be doing to others, or how they might be infringing on others rights.
I firmly believe in defending the right to worship as well as the establishment clause in the first amendment. What people need to realize is that by claiming your right to free speech and to worship as you choose, you assume a certain moral obligation to defend that right for others. Ain’t America great?
What’s funny is that I’m a Notre Dame grad and I said, “Hmm, I’m not sure we had Easter break,” and he went apeshit saying that of course of course of course we had Easter off. And when I pointed out that yes, we always had Easter off because it’s on a Sunday, he kinda refused to keep talking to me.
Honestly, though, I couldn’t remember if we had Easter break or not. I don’t think we did, but I could be wrong.
I agree with everything you’ve said. Especially your last two sentences. As an American Catholic I find them particularly important.
No matter how much any single incident I mentioned might have chafed, all it was, IMNSHO, was a sign of changing social norms. For the most part, a very good thing. Even when I might prefer to have the old norms maintained, being forced to question those norms is a very good thing.
Alas, I doubt that most people recognize that such a conflict of thesis and antithesis is necessary and beneficial.
BTW, Seve, a spew alert would have been beneficial.
<major hijack>Frankly, I think something like 80% of those jumpers are people succumbing to a combination of geography and impulse.
Cornell has three residential campuses. The oldest one is West Campus, and it’s just below the hill where most of the class buildings are. Nothing between it and the dorms. The other major residential campus is across a gorge from the main campus. So, if a student has just bombed his or her last final, or lost hope with their thesis, and are heading back to the dorms (and where much of the rental property around the school is, too.) they have to cross over one of the bridges. Each with an approximately 100 ft drop.
I imagine it can be a pretty seductive temptation. You can’t make a college campus suicide proof - it’s just not possible, but I can’t think of any other school where the means for suicide is so much out in the open. Obviously I can’t offer figures, but while I was flunking out, I did notice the convenience factor.
The persecution of some American Christians is one of my pet peeves. First of all, short of the return of Jesus, actual persecution of Christians would be the best thing that could happen to Christianity. A lot of people would learn some major humility, and it would be the antidote to the corruption brought on by power.
Humility, that’s my other reason. These people with martyr complexes are desperately lacking in it. It’s really their pride they care about. This expectation of being entitled to respect and whining about not getting it is unchristlike, He said we can expect persecution, but we’ve had it fucking easy. We’re supposed to serve nonchristians, not have our egos satisfied by them.
If Jesus wanted a Christian government He’d have overthrown Rome. Period.
That’s a pretty disturbing thing to learn. Definitely way too tempting, you can just up and jump without having time to be rational about it. I’d better not go to college there (not that I probably would have anyway).
I went to the Catholic University of America. We got a spring break that didn’t coincide necessarily with Easter, but we also got a seperate Easter break - Thursday, Friday and Monday of Easter weekend off. It was pretty sweet.
Okay, I’ve been thinking about this all day. What’s the “we Christians are being persecuted” crowd take on the fact that the Orthodox Easter is on a different Sunday than theirs?
If I was Abdur Rahman, I’d be writing a book right now about how having faith in your heart means that you will always triumph over the adversity of persecution.
A man could make a fucking MINT off those rubes … A mint, I say! Cha-ching! Hail, Mammon!
I am a zealous believer (heh) in the separation of church and state, but I have to agree with you. That teacher was an idiot. Were there tax dollars spent? Was a public official endorsing a religion? No? Then it’s NOT a church-state issue, doofus!
Honestly, I think it’s people like that teacher who lead some Christians to believe they are being persecuted. I, an atheist, think it’s a great thing that the Jehovah’s Witnesses enjoyed the freedom to stand on street corners and harangue the drunken students when I was in college (don’t know if they still do it, thus the past tense). The first amendment is one of our best pieces of law, and I firmly believe everyone has the right to speak their mind in public. All I ask is that I not be governed according to a religion and that the churches stay out of my abundantly-taxed pocket. The folks who go further than that really hurt the cause for those of us who have what I think is a fairly reasonable expectation.
So the deal breaker has become an Easter school vacation? Can somebody explain to me how sending college students off to Daytona rather than have them sitting in class will make us a more Christian nation?
But Xtian students don’t do that. They go to church sponsored retreats in the mountains. Segregated by gender. And never, ever, ever think of doing the nasty, or drinking.
:rolleyes: And if you believe that, I have a deal for ocean-front property in Colorado that you might want to invest in…
