Is there a difference between the Ten Commandments symbolically displayed within the Supreme Court from an imposing monument outside its building? The answer is actually no, except that the founding fathers did not include such a monument in the architectural plans for the District of Columbia. Given that the early Americans, fresh from colonist existence, were wary of papal and puritanic laws filtering down into politics and favored a low profile of religion in politics is nonetheless not an argument for breaking the wall of separation despite the prevailing influence in religion today. The reason for this is clear: regardless of prayer openings in congressional sessions, politicians freely deferring to the Author of the universe, or simply God; freedom of religious assemblage discussing the “culture of life” and God on the side of freedom, does not overpower the predominance of democracy being secular, humanistic and definitely free of literal theocratic influence, though partially not ruling out the symbolic and argumentative psyche of religious principles.
Abortion, though dominantly opposed from religious sects, is not really a religious issue because secular and religious sects can also be for choice even though they frown on a cavalier attitude toward abortion. Many who are against abortion are nevertheless for the death penalty and those are for choice are nevertheless against the death penalty. There are Christians who are anti-Semitic and Jews who are anti-Christian because they allow themselves to view matters outside the box of religious dogma, yet both lay claim to tolerance, just as there are those who are neither Christian nor Jew yet are tolerant of religious roots.
The founding fathers were not without religion; they just would prefer that political matters were expressed predicated on rational principles, which, however, did not rule out the great theological, not theocratic, rationalism on what it means to be human.
Copyright © 2005 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: March 2, 2005.
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