The Right to Freedom of Religion

I often find myself arguing with fundamentalists yelling that this is a Christian country! It was founded on Christian ideals, so Muslims need to get out! Among other assorted idiocy. The United States, according to the founding fathers is NOT a Christian country, but a secular country that allows us freedom of religion. The laws and politics of the country are meant to be secular and welcoming to all. 

Thomas Jefferson (one of the founding fathers, in case you've forgotten) wrote in his Wall of Separation Letter  of January 1st 1802 that:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. (http://usconstitution.net, 2010)

This letter was used in the Supreme Court case Reynolds vs United States in 1878 where Reynolds attempted to have his conviction under the bigamy laws overturned for religious reasons (Reynolds was a member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints). The Supreme Court used the letter and the text of the First Amendment to argue that religion is not an adequate defense under the eyes of the law, further highlighting the secular nature of the United States. (http://supreme.justia.com, 2011)

Furthermore, the Constitution (you know, that piece of paper that outlines all the rights anyone under the jurisdiction of the US is entitled too) has this little thing, called a 1st Amendment. It's pretty clear on the whole separation of Church and State thing. You know. Hard to misinterpret. Although I'm sure someone out there will anyway:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. (http://usconstitution.net, 2010)

Last time I checked, "no law" means "no law" not "some laws." No means no! Our parents taught us this early on, didn't they? Mine did!

Then of course, there's the Treaty of Tripoli. It's no longer an active treaty, seeing as the group the treaty was made with no longer exists, but article 11 still very clearly states that the country was not founded on Christianity, and that America would never have issue with Islam because of this. The treaty was authored in 1796, and ratified by the Senate in 1797 when the country was still in its infancy.

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 Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan 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. (http://www.stephenjaygould.org, 2011)

I don't know how much clearer you can get than "the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." Seriously. If you can interpret this any differently, please do. And post it in a comment.

I've also heard the argument that the Pledge of Allegiance says very clearly that we are "one nation under God". The Pledge of Allegiance was originally written in 1892 by a man named Francis Bellamy. It read, originally

I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all (http://oldtimeislands.org, 1992)

I'd like to point out that there is no mention of "under God" in the original pledge. I'd also like to point out the part that says "liberty and justice for all." That really does mean, all. Regardless of faith, skin colour, legal status, gender, sexual orientation...all means all, right?

Now, the addition of "under God" was petitioned for by the Knights of Columbus and passed by Congress in 1954 at the height of McCarthyism. Meaning, it was not representative of what this country was founded on. It was instead, another corruption of the founding fathers' ideals.

So the next time you argue that us liberals are anti-American for our support of Islam's right to freedom of religion, please take note of what your own history says.

citations*:

http://www.usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html, 2010, retrieved on 13/02/11

http://supreme.justia.com/us/98/145/case.html, 2011, retrieved on 13/02/11
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am1, 2010, retrieved on 13/02/11
http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/treaty_tripoli.html, 2011, retrieved on 13/02/11
http://www.oldtimeislands.org/pledge/pledge.htm, 1992, retrieved on 13/02/11

*bear in mind it's been far too long since I've written a paper here.

Women's Rights and Islam

There is a lot of misinformation regarding Islam's approach to women's rights. A lot of it comes from fundamentalist Islam, and a lot of it comes from anti-Muslim preachers spreading whatever hate they can.

The Qu'ran, like the bible is not immune to misinterpretation and corruption. However, it specifically says that women's rights are awarded to her from God himself, and therefore cannot be taken away by men. This is evidenced by An-Nisa 4:19 which states (translated)

O People who Believe! It is not lawful for you to forcibly become the women's heirs; and do not restrain women with the intention of taking away a part of bridal money you gave them, unless they openly commit the shameful; and deal kindly with them; and if you do not like them, so it is possible that you dislike a thing in which Allah has placed abundant good.

Seems pretty hard to argue with right? My rights as a woman are given to me by God. If you take them away, you are denying God's power, and that's a pretty big sin in all three major Abrahamic faiths, wouldn't you say?

Further evidence that a woman is equal to a man under Islam is evidenced by the statement that he created both man and woman from one soul. Meaning, we are equal An-Nisa 4:1

O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate, and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer.

Furthermore, under Islam, Eve is not blamed at all for the first sin, rather, the story refers to both of them as having sinned. Al 'A'Raf 7:19-25

And "O Adam, dwell, you and your wife in Paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers." (19) But Satan whispered to them to make apparent to them that which was concealed from them of their private parts. He said "Your Lord did not forbid you this tree except that you become angels or become of the immortal" (20) And he swore by [Allah] to them, "Indeed, I am to you from among the sincere advisors." (21) So he made them fall, through deception. And when they tasted of the tree, their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten together over themselves from the leaves of Paradise . And their Lord called to them, "Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you that Satan is to you a clear enemy?" (22) They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers." (23) [Allah] said, "Descend, being to one another enemies. And for you on the earth is a place of settlement and enjoyment for a time." (24) He said, "Therein you will live, and therein you will die, and from it you will be brought forth" (25)

Notice how there is no reference to Eve being the cause of the sin, but rather, of both of them being equally guilty? If Islam considered women to be inferior to men, would that not have been reflected in their punishment?

Ultimately, a woman's rights are given to her by God. That isn't something any true believer of the faith can argue with.

I would also like to take this opportunity to plug an essay I read written by Naheed Mustafa on her choice to wear hijab being liberating. It is entitled "My Body Is My Own Business"

The Qu'ran online can be found here.

Why Hating Islam is Against the Bible.

Every religion has its fundamentalists and bigots, be it Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism or Christianity. Christianity's own fundamentalist leaders seem to have a hard-on for Muslims. Christians should be weary of these hate-mongers and not let people like Paul Holt and Terry Jones corrupt God by using religion as a tool for bigotry.

You'd be hard pressed to find a religion that preaches hate and violence as a path to God. Indeed, the bible itself teaches us to love and respect one another. Yet you can always find some self-serving jerk who will corrupt anything in an attempt to push their own agenda.

The bible is full of verses that contradict Holt's teachings. Verses like

Exodus 23:9

Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The Hebrews were used as slaves under the Pharaoh and were liberated. They were given a home, and were told to not treat guests into their homes as they had been treated by the Pharaoh and his ilk. 

The attempts by the far right to halt construction on the poorly named "ground zero mosque" (which in truth is FIVE blocks away from ground zero...) not only violate the Constitution, but violate this commandment from God. One could argue that by attempting to prevent the building of the mosque (that includes an interfaith community center) we are oppressing Muslims by not giving them the same rights under the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution -- The right to freedom of religion. Since the bible asks us not to oppress strangers, isn't it the duty of a good Christian to support them in this endeavor rather than prevent it?

Leviticus 19:33-34

And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him (33) [But] the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God. (34)

This verse is one of the 613 Mitzvot in Judaism, and is shared by the Christian faith. It very specifically tells Christians not to do stupid things like Qu'ran burnings. Don't specifically do things to piss off a stranger just because you can. It is a direct commandment from God telling us to treat people other faiths with the same respect and love as we would give those of us who share our own. 

Then of course, there are the countless instructions from God to love one another as he loved us:

1 John 4:11

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another

John 15:12

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you

John 15:17

These things I command you, that ye love one another.

I don't know about you, but I couldn't find anything about loving one another EXCEPT if they're Muslim, could you?

I used the King James Version for this blog post. It can be found online here: http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org

Feel free to check my work.

The Truth About God.

There are a lot of people on this planet that claim to believe in God. They claim that their God is the only REAL god, and that their views are the only moral and justifiable views. Anyone who disagrees is evil.

I'm religious. I believe in God, but I believe that his message isn't about hate or bigotry, but about being the best person that you can be. God doesn't care if you're gay, if you're Muslim, or Christian or Jewish, he cares that we respect each other and spend our lives being the best people we can. He's not oppressive, but loving. He doesn't send you to hell just because your skin isn't the right colour, or you pray five times a day. He doesn't care who you sleep next to at night, or whether or not you had an abortion, or if you go to church every Sunday.

Religion isn't a contest as to how big of a bigot or idiot you can be, and your relationship with God is your own personal business, and not anyone else's. Forcing it on others who disagree is an affront to him and his nature, and goes against the very definition of a loving God.

This blog is about reminding these fundamentalists what God REALLY means, and was created as an answer to Pastor Paul Holt's Magdalena bigotry.