Al Bedrosian #fundie

Al Bedrosian #fundie roanoke.com

As a Christian, I think it's time to rid ourselves of this notion of freedom of religion in America.

Now that I have your attention, let me take a moment to make my case. Freedom of religion has become the biggest hoax placed upon the Christian people and on our Christian nation.

When reading the writings of our Founding Founders, there was never any reference to freedom of religion referring to a choice between Islam, Hindu, Satanism, Wicca and whatever other religions or cults you would like to dream up. It was very clear that freedom to worship meant the freedom to worship the God of the Bible in the way you wanted, and not to have a government church denomination dictate how you would worship.

Christianity, by its own definition, does not allow freedom of religion. A Christian is defined as a follower of Jesus Christ.

78 comments

old comment by Raven Blackhawk

As a human being, I think it's time to laugh at your dumb ass for saying some stupid shit.

"It was very clear that freedom to worship meant the freedom to worship the God of the Bible in the way you wanted,..."

Freedom of religion means every religion, and that was exactly what our founding fathers wanted. Not once did they specifically say that christianity was the only religion allowed to be practiced in America.

"....and not to have a government church denomination dictate how you would worship."

Excuse me, but it seems to me that you're advocating just that. You WANT to dictate what the rest of us believe in, or rather, what we should believe in.

Christianity may not allow freedom of religion, but this country does, so shut the fuck up.

old comment by Brian X

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.

No religious test shall be required for office.

Treaty of Tripoli (don't forget, treaties have constitutional force) and the letter to the Danbury Baptists reinforce it.

14th amendment makes sure that a religious faction in an individual state can't slip it under the wire despite Federal law.

I know Armenians have traditionally been deeply religious people, but the bulk of Armenians I've known (including a few relatives) have been eminently reasonable and good people as well. Al Bedrosian ought to just change his name to Peterson so he doesn't shame the Armenian-American community even further with his stupidity.

old comment by Goosey

The Arabic version of the Treaty of Tripoli lacked that text. That implies to me it was less 'please stop hating on America for being a Christian nation' and more of an internal memorandum. But watch some fundie now try and twist that into "See? The Treaty of Tripoli doesn't say that after all!"

I've heard the whole gamut of interpretations of 'freedom of religion' from "what the founding fathers meant by freedom of religion was freedom from religion" to "the founding fathers were slightly personally reluctant about freedom of religion, but knew that it was necessary, both in terms of human rights, and in terms of what America was supposed to stand for".

I have also heard ad nauseum that the founding fathers made America a Christian nation, but that is curiously the only point of view I have never heard backed up with citations.

old comment by BuddT

I bet you got a F in history Just heads up did you by chance ever read the word liberty among our forefather quotes or letters pesonal diaries. .
let look up the word libery ok
lib·er·ty 1 : the quality or state of being free: a : the power to do as one pleases b : freedom from physical restraint c : freedom from arbitrary or despotic control d : the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges e : the power of choice
2 a : a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant
synonym see FREEDOM
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
- Benjamin Franklin

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it."
Thomas Jefferson, 1791

"It does not take a majority to prevail ... but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men."
Samuel Adams "The Father of the American Revolution"
Piss me off when the start that were a Xian Nation bull shit I wish one thses fuck fundies would put the bible down a read a fucking histry book they don't have fucking clue as to what their talking about .

old comment by ckensington

Um... you're WRONG, Al:

"Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting 'Jesus Christ,' so that it would read 'A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;' the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination."

-Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom

You know, Al, Jefferson WAS a founder. A rather important one.

old comment by

"As a Christian, I think it's time to rid ourselves of this notion of freedom of religion in America. "

Daesh and al Qaeda and Taliban have same mentality but replace Christian with Muslim

"
Now that I have your attention, let me take a moment to make my case. Freedom of religion has become the biggest hoax placed upon the Christian people and on our Christian nation."

Well if Christians quit whining about non Christians expressing themselves and quit trying to be political...

Oh that's not your point?

"When reading the writings of our Founding Founders, there was never any reference to freedom of religion referring to a choice between Islam, Hindu, Satanism, Wicca and whatever other religions or cults you would like to dream up. It was very clear that freedom to worship meant the freedom to worship the God of the Bible in the way you wanted, and not to have a government church denomination dictate how you would worship.
"

Such as the Treaty of Tripoli and Jefferson Bible. History fail. Reading comprehension fail.

"
Christianity, by its own definition, does not allow freedom of religion. A Christian is defined as a follower of Jesus Christ. "

Historically this is true. Just not in the way you mean

old comment by Swede

Yeah, you're right. The US is one of the most overt Christian countries in the world. It's pretty hard to make a living there for anyone who's not Christian.
What? Was that not what you meant?

You haven't really read the writings of your Founding Founders[sic], have you, Allie? Well, neither have I, but I'm not American. (Sweden was founded sometime between 98 CE (the first mention of the "Suiones") and 829 CE (the Christanising of Sweden begins), and the writings then were mostly done on runestones.) But, from what I've read and heard ABOUT them, it was more about keeping religion and state separate, keeping religion a private matter, whichever religion you had chosen. Didn't one of them say "neither Pagan nor Mohamedan nor Jew ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the Commonwealth because of his religion"? Weren't quite a few of the Fathers deists, who did not believe in the God of the Bible, but a personal deity?

Christianity does not allow freedom of religion, no. In the times of Sir Thomas More, it didn't even allow the owning of a Bible written in English. People who did own one were burned at the stake as heretics.

If that is the definition of a Christian, then why are there hundreds of different Christian denominations?

old comment by Anon-e-moose

there was never any reference to freedom of religion referring to a choice between Islam, Hindu, Satanism, Wicca and whatever other religions or cults you would like to dream up

A certain War of Independence. Against a certain monarch. And what he was head of. And what he wanted to do.

Ergo, the Founding Fathers and a certain Establishment Clause in a certain document.

So you don't want Islam, Hinduism, Luciferism, Wicca - or even $cientology - to have the freedom to exist in your country? Fine.

Don't come crying to us, when the IRS comes a-calling to your churches, organisations etc when they demand right-wing fundamentalist Christainity's rather sizeable chunk of Christianity in the US's total tax owed since 1776: nearly $17 quadrillion. In your case, untold trillions. The likes of you have stated that yours isn't a 'religion', but is a 'Personal Relationship With Jesus', have they not...?!

...so will that be by cash, cheque, or the STFU in perpetuity and agree that all religions - even Luciferism & Wicca - have the right to exist in your country option? Because you're fucked either way.

Al Bedrosian #fundie roanoke.com

78 comments

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