Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site akgua.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!akgua!rjb From: rjb@akgua.UUCP (R.J. Brown [Bob]) Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish Subject: Re: Christian nation Message-ID: <1006@akgua.UUCP> Date: Wed, 26-Sep-84 17:14:26 EDT Article-I.D.: akgua.1006 Posted: Wed Sep 26 17:14:26 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 7-Oct-84 21:20:45 EDT References: <1522@ucf-cs.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Technologies/Bell Labs, Atlanta Lines: 56 Mr. BenDavid, You misrepresent what I desire. I desire the freedom of school children to pray (on their own without "official" sanction) out loud if they want to. A truly vital understanding of freedom of speech includes free religious speech as well as other kinds of speech. Scenario: 40 students in a classroom, 15 minutes before class begins. 16 Christians congregate in one corner of the room for a few minutes of prayer (or out in the hall if there are too many to comfortably fit) 5 Jews congregate and ... 6 atheists sit around and grin knowingly about the Jews and Christians while rolling their eyes occasionally 0.5 Buddhists spin their prayer wheel and .. You get the idea. Right now in a lot of school systems my scenario could not come true because a few vocal atheists and others have twisted the establishment of religion taboo into a straight-jacket on freedom of religious speech. Religious speech is definitely second class speech in this country especially in the academic community. I also noticed you have colossal chip on your shoulder Mr. B... I apologize for any part my ancestors may have had in persecuting your people. But if the US were truly a Christian nation I firmly believe that Jews would be better off because they wouldn't get the ration of %$#! they have gotten elsewhere and would be free to practice Judaism without hassle. I would expect you to face the fact that Judaism is not very evangelical (these days anyway) and the only way you are going to be able to remove the blasphemy from in front of your face is to move your face. But I think it will take quite an outbreak of soul saving before the US becomes a Christian nation Do you really prefer secular humanism and paganism to real Christianity or is it some Hitler or Constantine Christian straw man you are spewing venom on ? Bob Brown {...ihnp4!akgua!rjb}