. . . And Then More Crap

[omorka]

Not from Texas, this time, thankfully: Freedom Of Religion Considered Harmful

Um, to address the stated premise:

The rights of conscience we never submitted, we could not submit. We are answerable for them to our God. The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no god. In neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg .
- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1785.

[When] the [Virginia] bill for establishing religious freedom... was finally passed,... a singular proposition proved that its protection of opinion was meant to be universal. 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 the word "Jesus Christ," so that it should read "a departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion." The insertion was rejected by a great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend within the mantle of its protection the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo and infidel of every denomination.
- Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, 1821.

During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What have been its fruits? More or less in all places, pride and indolence in the Clergy, ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution.
- James Madison, Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments, 1785

If we look back into history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Romish church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. These found it wrong in the Bishops, but fell into the same practice themselves both here [England] and in New England.
- Ben Franklin, "Essay on Toleration"

[N]o religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
- The Constitution of the United States of America, Article VI, Section 3

As the Government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Musselmen; and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.
- The Treaty of Tripoli, ratified by the US Senate and signed into law by John Adams, June 10, 1797

Just in case anyone was unclear on the subject. Moreover, if they had meant to establish a Christian nation to the exclusion of other religions, especially the other two major Abrahamic faiths, which already had established communities in the 13 colonies, one imagines that they would have been explicit about it in the Constitution itself. Jefferson clearly intended for this to be a nation where Pagans and atheists could live unmolested; while his fellows might not have been quite so broad-minded, it is clear that at least the other monotheistic religions - Deism, Judaism, Islam, and the monotheistic forms of Hinduism, as well as varieties of Christianity that might well be ruled heresy by the orthodox churches - were meant by our Founders to be protected under law.

I know there are plenty of good, Gospel-following, tolerant Christians out there. But some days it seems like they're shouted down in favor of the Angry God on every street corner.