Religious Displays Banned in Wash. State Capitol
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The state is trying to avoid another holiday-season controversy by barring religious and other nongovernmental displays inside buildings at the Capitol campus in Olympia.
The new rules were signed Friday by the director of the Department of General Administration. They still allow the annual state-sponsored holiday tree inside the Capitol rotunda.
Last year, a Nativity display at the capitol stirred controversy after a Wisconsin-based atheist group put up a nearby placard mocking religion. A number of other displays followed, and the state eventually declared a moratorium that froze several pending permit requests.
The fight might just move outdoors. Under the new rules, religious displays are OK outside the Capitol buildings.
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CzarsRUs
Haven't been able to get a lib to answer this question....but I will try again. Lefties told us Christians that we should support the PUBLIC option in their healthcare reform because Jesus would have. But then we are told we cannot have a PUBLIC nativity honoring the birth of the man the libs say we should follow on the PUBLIC option. Can you please explain that to me?????
Polemic
They probably haven't answered you because the two issues aren't comparable. The first is attempting to appeal to the lessons you've been taught regarding empathy in your religion. The second is about maintaining a separation between individual religions and a government that must rule over all of us.
elainenottoolate
I bet if every Christian bought a nativity scene for their yards, that would stimulate the economy!! Let's do it!
elainenottoolate
I think every Christian should display a nativity scene in their yards, plus we should be able to display our religious beliefs anywhere we go. I am not the state or is my religion to be dictated by the government or people who choose not to believe in God.
Janie in TX
The way to solve this --- EVERY Christian should put up a manger scene in their yard. That would really make them mad.
saltydizzle
no it wouldnt.....alot non-christians dont care what you do on your private property....i see logic in texas is fleeting.
Pugmaster
The problem that I have with the political left and "moderates" is that they have an obsession with not only banning religious displays, but also want to ban religious expression in the public square. It is if they are threatened by it like vampires to a steak or cross. While there will never be an official religion in the U.S., it the political left and the "moderates" want to ban the free excercise of religious faith which is protected under the first amendment of the Constitution. Could it be that the political left and "moderates' feel that they cannot get their agenda through if the United States remains believing in creed or a higher power? I believe that is the case. They would prefer the power of the state and themselves to the the power and guidence of a Supreme Being. Which goes to show that their thinking is misguided and sad.
Dog patch
I graduated from a Catholic school only 5 miles from Olympia, the state capitol.The state of Washington wasn't always this way but, it has become a one party state of liberals, and this is an example of what you get. Seattle just voted all liberal in yesterdays elections. It's a toss up in Wash. state which is worse, being a Conservative, or being a Christian. I only visit there.
Sharon in Mn.
OK. I am still confused. Can one of you Liberal idiots tell me exactly what it is about Christmas that offends you? Is it Peace on Earth or Goodwill towards men?
Polemic
This is an example of the logical fallacy called a loaded question, where you are presupposing some fact in relation to what is being inquired about. Nothing about Christmas offends me. I just don't like government buildings having religious displays because I believe in the separation of church and state.
susanm
THE GATES OF HELL WILL OPEN,
''MERRY CHRISTMAS''
Fox Sucker: One who swallows Fox News' crap as if it is truth
A Supreme Court ruling would be , ahhh, what's the word for it?
Oh yeah, LAW.
Please keep your church out of our state.
ilovetheusa
You are a colmlete moron:
Its that time of the year again when anti Christians come out of the their rat holes, It is a fact our founding Fathers had no intention of the complete separation of Church and State, because the God and the (creator) i.e. God appearing in several passages in both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, The only thing the Framers indented was that the Church not have any role in the decisions of the Government.
In a court of Law we are asked to Swear on the Christian Bible before we testify, The one dollar bill took four years to complete with the words (IN GOD WE TRUST) Benjamin Franklin assisted in designing it.
All of the Founding Fathers were Christians. I have been around for twelve Presidents and all of them except Obama have invoked the name of God, FDR, Truman, IKE, JFK, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush one, Clinton, and Bush two. Christmas is for everybody, President Grant thought so when he declared it a legal Holiday.
Craig
Im not very sure what a colmlete moron is . . .
But to clear up a few points. Many of the founding fathers were Deist above all else, if you took the time to look at the writtings you would realize that.
Also the word God (creator) Lord do not appear often in the declaration or in the Consititution. Perhaps 1-2 times total and none of them indiciate a christian "god". The only use of the world lord that I can recall is the date Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven". The use of the word "Lord" here is not a religious reference, however. This was a common way of expressing the date, in both religious and secular contexts. In fact, the original Constitution bars any religious test to hold any federal office in the United States.
Lightbringer
Still not in the original content of the constitution. Please keep your Secular Humanism out also.
Lightbringer
Hate to bust the atheists bubble, but there is NO CLAUSE in the constitution about the "separation of Church and State". SHOCKED?? This came about as a supreme Court ruling, and was not any input of Patrick Henry, James Madison, or any of the other founding fathers.
If they were alive today to see the religious persecution being mounted by the left against the adherents of Christianity they would think that they were back in England. The main reason that the pilgrims left Europe was for freedom of religion. I.E. Belief in Jesus Christ. No greater name under Heaven than He.
Georgia Cricket
It is called Christmas. If you don't like it........ go to work!
Craig
It bans all religious displays, it doenst single out Christianity in any way. Besides ill go to work as long as I get another day off to take off as i so choose.
Fed Up
...and that is unconstitutional, to restrict the free practice of any Religion regardless of what Religion that may be.
Dave B
Oh boy here we go again! The old tired Christmas display seperation of church and state nonscense. Can't we at least get through Veterans day before we start in on the whole church and state thing?
Polemic
No! We must fight now!
Pistons36
Patrick Henri
What am exactly am I wrong about? That the Government does have or recognize a religion as its own? The quote? It is real, our founding father Madison said that. Yes, the first mention of the seperation of church and state was Jefferson but it was used by other Fathers as well. They knew this day would come when people would try to force their religion on the minority.
Out of the Blue(Oath Keeper)
So Atheists believe that NOTHING CREATED EVERYTHING?
Craig
Umm no . . . actually creationist that Nothing Created God and then that god created EVERYTHING from nothing.
Atheist recognize evolution as being the way the living organisms on earth came to be how they are today. And that the earth was formed over about 4.5 billion years ago. And we believe this because of the evidence that science has given to us.
Polemic
Hey, we're not attacking what you believe, don't attack what we believe. They can't have any religious displays in their capitol and that includes atheist displays. I'm OK with that because I understand that would be promoting non-religion over religion which is also prohibited.
therepublicrevealed
This regime will take all religion from us.
http://www.therepublicrevealed.com/forums/index.php?topic=296.0
SABINE
EXCEPT ISLAM.
Pistons36
Fed Up
"They are restricting the practice of a Religion which is a violation of the First Amendment." Um no...the Government does not have a religion.
"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries." James Madison. Maybe you would prefer to be England instead of America?
Fed Up
...and they don't have the right to restrict the free practice of any religion regardless of what it is. By passing this law they are restricting the free practice of the Christian Religion which is in violation of the Constitution.
Patrick Henri
You are so off. Thomas Jefferson penned the phrase "separaton of church and state" in a letter to a Christian (Baptist, I believe) who was worried that the government would make another Christian denomination (Presbyterians I believe) the official "state" religion, like the Anglican Church in England. The founding fathers were talking about recognizing a denomination that would be the official church of the U.S. Context, dear, matters. You missed this lesson by a mile.
Don Lopez
I thought that the exact wording was "separation of church AND state", NOT "separation of church FROM state" kind of like the definition of the word "is"....
Fed Up
Isn't banning the Nativity unconstitutional. By banning the Nativity, they are premoting the atheistic religion. That is a violation of the separation of Church and State.
saltydizzle
no they are promoting no religion, that includes atheism.
saltydizzle
no one is restricting practice of religion. isnt that what church is for? to practice your religion? oh and to steal money i forgot.
Craig
I honestly dont care if they have christian things up during Christmas time. But then non Christians could not get mad if they put up Islamic stuff during Ramadan or Jewish things during Hanukkah etc etc
Fed Up
They are restricting the practice of a Religion which is a violation of the First Amendment.
Pistons36
you claim to be "real" Americans yet you spit in the face of our founding fathers and the Constituition. It's the FIRST amendment for God's sake!
There is a wall of seperation between church and state. Thomas Jefferson Unless they were wrong and you are all right?
Fed Up
The first amendment says that congress shall make no laws promoting or restriciting religion. Are they not restricting by passing this law. I see it as unconstitutional.
Robert Andrews
The only reason we are seeing this happen is because the churches were more worried about their tax exempt then keeping God in our schools and internal affairs, such as government and state and anything that could take this exempt away from them. they should of stood up for our children long ago instead of letting our government create a law that forbids the church from speaking out against them without the risk of loosing this tax exemption. You reap what you sow and this is the final product.
Excalibur
...............PEACE and LOVE to the whole world.............beautiful lights and decorations..........candles and beautiful music...............fabulous food and wine with friends............beautifully wrapped presents............beaming children............and, the atheists go berserk..............!
TrueTexan
Time to call these idiots what they are ELITIEST PROGRESSIVE SOCIALIST/FACIST MORONS (EPS/FM). They want to tell us how to live, because they know everything..
OldAncientOne
Oh, screw these heathens. I'm sick of them.
CzarsRUs
And the real kicker is.....the Anti-Christian Lawyers Union gets federal funds. So Christians get sued by the ACLU for exercising our Constitutional rights, and we also get to pay for being sued. The SPs have made a mess of this country.....time to get back to the majority ruling.
SABINE
THAT'S JUST TOO DEPRESSING.
Winston Cupp
Just another disgusting example catering to less than 20% of our population...we the people and electorate must wake up the politicians and the courts to the fact that we disagree with them and are willing and able to start a movement to replace the politicians and take away the appointments for lifetime of the several courts including the Supreme. It would take a herculean and legislation to get term limits and end the life time appointments but it can be done if we get vocal enough. What a great cause.!
stoptheinsanity
Christ-mas for Christ-ians
no bonuses
no days off
no presents
no trees
just work as usual for non-believers,,,will that work?
grdred944
I put more stock in Santa than Jesus. I'll take my day off, my presents and my tree, thank you very much.
saltydizzle
yeah thats fine....ill be happy to work xmas day.
Craig
Well non Bonuses that's kinda odd. I mean just because I don't believe in Jesus shouldn't disqualify anyone from a bonus.
And I will still have a tree and presents i could just call it a winter solstice feat like the pagans did. No harm no foul
Craig
Well non Bonuses that's kinda odd. I mean just because I don't believe in Jesus shouldn't disqualify anyone from a bonus.
And I will still have a tree and presents i could just call it a winter solstice feat like the pagans did. No harm no foul