The 'Religious Freedom' bill of Indiana seems to be making the endgame clear of the faction who insist they want an America built on 'Christian values'. For years they've been saying we should have prayer in our public schools, prayers opening official government/public meetings and the like. They want 'religious freedom' which in their interpretation seems to mean ability to use religion to oppress another. Some of them want creationism to be taught along side evolution. They have constructed religious monuments on government property. They want a theocratic government to control who can wed and would restrict the freedom of others they don't view as living according to their interpretation of religious values. They are attempting to interweave this plan into government at all levels and set precedent for religious doctrine to become law. That means compelling others to follow your chosen religion even though it might not coincide or may even be antithetical to said others beliefs. Well, there's a term for that. It's called Sharia Law.
To demonstrate:
Sharia law (Arabic): is the body of Islamic law. is the legal framework within which the public and some private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Islam.
Sharia law, (American): is the body of Christian law, is the legal framework within which the public and some private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Christianity.
See how that works? Just change one word. Poof! A whole new set of values now become law. This should make it clear it isn't anti-Christian to want religion out of our government, because if one religion is allowed to have it's place what is to stop another religion from replacing as in the example above?
And here's how this radical sounding change could be argued. The Koran uses the same text, in large part, as the Old Testament. Did you know that? The similarities between Christianity and Islam: (1)
- There is only one God. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
- God sent prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Joseph, John the Baptist, Jesus, etc.
- People should follow the Ten Commandments and the moral teachings of the prophets.
- Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virgin; therefore Jesus was born miraculously.
- Jesus Christ is the Messiah and he performed miracles.
- The Old testament/Torah and the new testament/Gospel) are holy scriptures.
- Satan is evil; therefore, people should not follow Satan.
- An Anti-Christ will appear on Earth before the Day of Judgment.
- Jesus Christ will return by descending from Heaven and will kill the Anti-Christ.
- The Day of Judgment will occur and people will be judged.
- There is hell and paradise.
A lot of similarities, huh? Now, separating what makes Islam and Christianity different lies at the heart of why it is so essential to not have theological arguments insinuating itself into our government. The differences cause wars and atrocities, oppression and repression.
The other problem that should be obvious here is, we would not even be talking about a country based on 'accepted' Christian values. This would be a government based on the State's interpretation of Christian values. The Bible is a text with wonderful things to be sure but it also fraught with atrocities that could be implemented because they appear in the text. Beheading (sound familiar?), human sacrifice, violence against others, murder of all sorts, all appear in the Bible and regardless if they're being used as negative or positive examples could be used as justification for the most draconian laws. Laws like the Spanish Inquisition set forth:
From Wikipedia: (2)
"The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition (Spanish: Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition (Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms and to replace the Medieval Inquisition, which was under Papal control. It became the most substantive of the three different manifestations of the wider Christian Inquisition along with the Roman Inquisition and Portuguese Inquisition.
The Inquisition was originally intended in large part to ensure the orthodoxy of those who converted from Judaism and Islam. This regulation of the faith of the newly converted was intensified after the royal decrees issued in 1492 and 1501 ordering Jews and Muslims to convert or leave Spain.
Various motives have been proposed for the monarchs' decision to found the Inquisition such as increasing political authority, weakening opposition, suppressing conversos, profiting from confiscation of the property of convicted heretics, reducing social tensions, and protecting the kingdom from the danger of a fifth column.
The body was under the direct control of the Spanish monarchy. It was not definitively abolished until 1834, during the reign of Isabella II, after a period of declining influence in the previous century.
The Spanish Inquisition is often cited in literature and history as an example of Catholic intolerance and repression. Modern historians have tended to question earlier and possibly exaggerated accounts concerning the severity of the Inquisition. Although records are incomplete, estimates of the number of persons charged with crimes by the Inquisition range up to 150,000 with 2,000 to 5,000 people actually executed."
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