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From: curts@mako.UUCP (Curt Stephens)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Religion and the Government
Message-ID: <151@mako.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 1-Jun-84 13:28:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: mako.151
Posted: Fri Jun  1 13:28:06 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Jun-84 08:17:11 EDT
References: <356@teldata.UUCP>
Organization: Tektronix, Wilsonville OR
Lines: 25


I do not think that less public support of religion has resulted in fewer
americans with good morals. In fact, I am convinced that recent events,
such as the Viet Nam war, have pushed us out of an earlier stage of general
ambivalency and triggered a steady increase in the number of americans that 
develop a "social imagination". I will provide examples of this upon request.

Being religious is not synonomous with being ethical. To illustrate this, I
ask you to consider the number of persecutions, executions, and holy wars that
can be attributed to each of the worlds "great religions". I will provide
examples of this upon request.

The issue of school prayer is not simply a question of whether students 
include religious activity during their school day. It is, in addition, a
question of whether the inclusion of one activity would exclude the religious 
activity of some other student. For example, a moment of silent prayer during 
a school day is oriented to a minority of religions. That is, MOST religions 
require that prayers be said out loud. To pray in silence is not prayer for 
some.  Note that I said MOST religions. I will provide examples of this upon 
request.


< Always trying to see both sides,                      Curt Stephens  >