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Biblical Legislation

created by LordOmar

(thing) by LordOmar (1.7 y) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Thu Jun 29 2000 at 16:59:36

The disturbing trend of enacting biblical laws into state or federal laws. Actually this is not a recent trend, it goes as far back as religious history itself. And has even been a part of American History since it's begining (ok, since the white-euro-bastards landed on it...). Unfortunatley there has never truly been a seperation of church and state in America, as political leaders with strong religious beliefs have penned laws to suit thier own morality. As the church grew in power in America we've seen more and more attempts by religious organizations to enact legislations to push thier moral agenda on the U.S. most recently these have involved issues such as abortion and gay marrige. The Christian Coalition dolls out more money to political campaigns than I have seen in my lifetime, all to make sure candidates will tow thw biblical-line. Legal cases in the southern US (where the christian right-wing is very prominent) have brough cases to court based not on state or federal statutes, but on biblical premise (I'd hate to see the legal precedence set by some of the cases in states such as Tennesee and Mississippi), such as removing a child from a family of two men and one woman (although I believe that the case was being taken to a higher court), this case was brought to court even after a social worker stated that the child was being more than adequatley cared for (actually some testified that the child was better cared for than most as there was always a "parent" figure present), the first round was lost by the family because all three parents slep in the same bed, even though the two men had never engaged in homosexual activity (according to testimony). A lower (county) court decided that since the family was not christian they did not hav eto fit what the "christian definition" of a family was, however the case was appealed once (to state), and that ruling was overturned. I do not know the outcome from the fedral court case.

This is just an example of the type of morality legislation that outrages me, personally. Shoot, I'm a jew, should I take every family that serves thier child pork to court?

(idea) by binarydreams (2.1 mon) (print)   ?   (I like it!) Thu Jun 29 2000 at 17:13:15

Ruling by religion, was tried in the United States and it failed-miserably. Here, for example, is an early colonial law:

If any man have a stubborn or rebellious Son, of sufficient understanding and years, viz. fifteen years of age, which will not obey the voice of his Father, or the voice of his Mother, and that when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them; then shall his Father or Mother, being his natural Parents, lay hold on him, and bring him to the Magistrates assembled in Court, and testify unto them, that their Son is Stubborn and Rebellious, and will not obey their voice and chastisement, but lives in sundry notorious Crimes, such a son shall be put to death.
The law then states the specific biblical chapter and verse on which the law was based (Deuteronomy 21:18-21).
If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die.
How many of us would be alive today if that law were still on the books?

Source: Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes In Our Free Country


printable version
chaos

Ain't Nobody's Business if You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in Our Free Country drunkard magistrate Chastened
United States of America Presbyterian Church (USA) Glutton Biblical
Hearken Sundry Deuteronomy
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