PEACE ON EARTH

GOODWILL TOWARD ALL MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN, BORN AND UNBORN

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Which Muslim Founder

Signed the Declaration of Independence or US Constitution.

You are right. It is a trick (or tricky) question. None of them did. The country was not founded by muslims, or people who thought anything goes religiously no matter how potentially alien to a central belief structure or a hold to the center. The country was founded by the most part by Christians fleeing other institutionally entrenched established hostile christian interests-Jesuits fleeing Dominicans, Hugenots Protestants fleeing french catholics, people not wanting to be Jacobians fleeing Jacobians, irish catholics fleeing british episcopalian church of England types, etc . It is solidly rooted in Judao-Christian scriptures and beliefs. There is neary a mention of the buddists, the zoroastrans, the muslims (sunni, Shi-ite nor Suffi whirlishly dervishly dancers) nor any other religion in the notes, words or documents of the founders. There were a number of scripturally literate types who qualified as near clergy or clergy. There were peasant farmers more literate in christian scripture than some pastors today.

But should that mean that the general non establishment principles don't hold against anyone not of the hold to the center? Of course not. The view was that no one should be allowed to establish a state founded or preferred religion, nor should the state be allowed to interfere with anyone's beliefs. But is this rule applicable and does it all the time apply when the beliefs are off the rails harmful to other Americans- that we call criminal behavior. Clearly beliefs that can manifest harm are not protected under a non-establishment non interference clause.

So, Which variety are these muslims at the "ground zero mosque." The Taliband or Al Quida kind we have been in combat with for seven years? Or the presumed harmless kind? Are there muslims who for example recognize the right of Israel to exist in peace and condemn hezballah jihadists or hamas as terrorists groups that we have a right to protect ourselves against or will this muslim community center court those folks whose interests we deem hostile to us or our friends the state of Israel and everyone in it. There seems no consensus on this point, even among the various Jewish communities in New York. Bloomberg is Jewish, he is for the Moderate Muslim presence in lower manhattan. The wives of both the Democratic leadership dissenters Harry Reid and Howard Dean are Jewish. They oppose it.

Is this a gloating dancing on our graves thing- or is it a bridge to somewhere?

Clearly the some 2 billion muslims in the world are not going anywhere and have to be reckoned with in peace.
Clearly the more peaceminded of them should be welcomed and worked with.

But none of that obligates Obama or the State Department to build Mosques in Middle Eastern countries as was reported in yesterday's Examiner-a rightest rag that has relentlessly criticized Obama every time he sneezes in the direction of Cairo.
Is building mosques in the Middle East something you want your tax dollars spent on?

I prefer the State Department contribute a few million for the renovation and restoration of
old monestaries and churchs in Europe, Detroit and anywhere else a shell of a church with an abandoned church community fell victim to the depression/recession and moved. I prefer that the US government have a restoration plan to build communities that existed through new green innovation in Europe by giving millions to gothic cathedral maintenlance, and while Obama is at it, I hear Saint Matthews in DC the main downtown cathedral wouldn't complain if they got a million in the bank for a maintenance endowment.
I would like to see some classic old synagogues get a million to do restoration and build their programs.
Can you imagine the uproar? So why is no one raising an establishment clause argument about the need for the State Department to spend millions of dollars building mosques in the middle east (in places where we couldn't possibly have destroyed them)

I think I am a bit tired of all this Christian guilt.

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