However some other people believe that Christmas is not a celebration of Christ as even though Historians doe believe he was born on the 25th they are unsure of which month and it is likely it is a summer month. The Church may have chosen the 25th of December so as to compete with pagan rituals. It is also suggested that Christmas is actually the celebration of Greek God Mithra rather than the birth of Jesus. Many Christmas customs that we have today began long before the birth of Jesus and originated from earlier festivals which were nothing to do with the Christian Church. Christmas today may be based on Christian beliefs but they are no longer practised by the majority in Britain.
CON Vaccines 1. Governments should not have the right to intervene in the health decisions parents make for their children. 31% of parents [37] believe they should have the right to refuse mandated school entry vaccinations for their children, according to a 2010 survey by the University of Michigan. 2. Many parents hold religious beliefs against vaccination.
Hank is not a fan of Catholicism to say the least: “There you see the hand of that awful power, the Roman Catholic Church. In two or three little centuries it had converted a nation of men to a nation of worms” (43). Hank experiences that without title and heritage people are nothing in King Arthur’s time and he feels this is because of the church. He says that the church “invented the divine right of kings” (44). He is also proud that his knights who carry advertisements will influence people in a way that the Church cannot control: “This would undermine the Church.
Regrettably, Byfield doesn’t give a sturdy case, and with misled facts and statistics, it’s hard to be influenced. Byfield starts by referencing a study that many young couples are focusing on their jobs and waiting until later in life to have children, or simply not having children at all. According to the essay, Canada isn’t one of the countries that has had “much ballyhooed ‘population explosion’” that would “crowd the world with wall-to-wall people” (222). Really, he’s suggesting quite the opposite, that the population we have could “wreak great havoc on the economies of much of the western world’ (223). He believes that the government is simply telling us these things because they would hate to admit that they were wrong in their earlier speculations.
However others may disagree with the view of Secularisation such as Martin who denies the view that there was ever a ‘golden age’ of religion and he argues that the reason for higher attendance of church in the past is due to the view that it was seen as respectable to attend church. As well Davie argues that religion has become privatised and came up with the phrase ‘believing without belonging’. Gill et al renewed almost 100 national surveys on religious beliefs from 1939 to 1996. They showed a significant decline in a person’s belief in a personal god, as well as Jesus as the son of god but also the
Some atheists and agnostics argue to remove "in God we trust" from our currency. Conservatives on the religious right work for prayer in our public schools. Secularists fear religious zealotry, and believers abhor moral anarchy. In this popular level historical overview of the relationship between church and state, religion and politics, Jon Meacham, the managing editor of Newsweek and a practicing Christian, argues against both extremes. There is, he insists, a well-defined historical common middle ground, what he calls a "sensible center," that best serves the many and varied interests of our country.
In most circumstances the society or the government would sought the advice of their most prominent religion in matters of ethics and even the authorisation of policy making. However in a increasingly secular society the role of religion is diminishing and it no longer holds much relevance that it once did. Most of us are guilty of celebrating another’s religious festival without truly understanding the significance of the celebration. For example, my family celebrates Christmas every year despite being born Hindus. We do this by decorating the Christmas tree and exchanging gifts with one another.
The very first words of the Bill of Rights read: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Exempting religious organizations from paying taxes is a clear case of our government "respecting an establishment of religion,". My proposal requires religious organizations involved in the political arena to pay an income tax. Religions organizations HAVE evolved, yet laws have not. The actions of religious groups can now be considered a public service.
Over the past century in society, a new social climate has made its imprint on religious traditions, ceremonies, and holidays. Through the examination of Christmas, it has become apparent that tradition has taken a back seat to the age of materialism, and that Christmas, which may be based on tradition, is driven by consumerism. The origin of Christmas is an issue that floats around many different answers. According to David C. Pack, president of the Restored Church of God - a church founded in the early 20th century in Tennessee- and writer of the article, The True Origin of Christmas, nearly “all aspects of Christmas observance have their roots in Roman custom and religion”. He goes on to say that the “earliest reference to Christmas being marked as December 25th comes from the 2nd century after Jesus’ birth”.
State actions and activities prohibited by the First Amendment which violate the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause include, but not limited to, the setting up of a state church, passing laws which specifically aid one religion, a group of religions, or aid religions generally, forcing or otherwise influencing individuals to attend or not attend church, punishing people for referencing to certain beliefs or disbeliefs or for attending or not attending church, taxes levied to support religious institutions or activities, and governmental participation in religious organizations or participation by religious organizations in governmental activities. For example, let’s say that Catholicism is the largest religious group in Texas and various Catholic churches and organizations have made significant contributions to communities throughout the state over the years. The state legislature found out last year that many Catholic churches would have to close due to lack of financial support. In order to show appreciation for the many contributions the churches have made, the state decides that they will allow the use of the state college football stadium to hold fundraising events. They pass a bill allowing the use of stadium rent free.