Even a quick scan of their speeches and correspondences one can find many allusions to God. The Founders understood that theocracy was tyranny, but they did not feel they could or should try to banish religion from public life altogether. George Washington, the first President of the United States, improvised “So help me, God” at the end of the first presidential oath and kissed the Bible on which he had sworn it. This act itself would be a violation of church and state according to the interpretation by the ACLU. According to "The University Of Oklahoma College Of Law" (2009.)
Seventeenth-century Salem was a puritan colony and theocracy, meaning laws are based on religion therefore the church tells people how to behave, but puritanism is so strict and single-minded that there is no room for diversity, leading intolerance to corrupt their society. Intolerance was an action that was a major part of puritan society, and is still encountered in our modern world. Usually, intolerance is often a result of religious expectations and differing opinions. Puritans related everything to God and the Devil, like black or white, so judges, just the same as reverends, ruled and judged with religion. Leaders such as Reverend Hale and Judge Danforth from Salem, led the intolerant accusations of individuals who differed and opposed the beliefs of their religion.
(2) He followed the teaching of Lucian, his former teacher. He comibined his own intellectual philosophical viewpoints which fueled the fire from which a dispute grew between the young scholar and Bishop Alexander and subsequently among the greater Church. The basic belief of Arianism was the opposition to the divinity of Christ and subsequently the denial of the Holy Spirit. Arius minimized the Christian Trinity and professed the Father alone is the true God. Arius proclaimed, Christ was neither fully God nor fully man, but someone in the middle of both.
Here in America, we do not have a national religion, yet the idea of separation of church and state has been raised more than once. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were very clear when they talked about church and state. Madison wrote in a letter, "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 with blood for centuries." Madison and Jefferson feared the harsh monarchs of Europe and did not what that to happen to their new country. Countries that do have a national religion often face more violent and extreme problems.
Ryan Perry HY 101 Daniel Riches January 8, 2013 Question 2 Martin Luther & Mchiavelli's writings were very different but they shared many traits and were considered ludacris and rebellious for their time. Luther stepped away from the Catholic Church and was very strong about faith and salvation. “ Faith alone is the saving and effacious use of the Word of God, according to Rom. 10[9]: “ If your confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”(Luther 7) Machiavelli wrote about how to be a succesfull leader through many different virtues, including doing anything necessary, cruel or inhumane, to gain or maintain power. “Yet one cannot call it virtue to kill one's citizens, betray one's friends, to be without faith, without mercy, without religion; these modes can enable one to acquire an empire, but not glory.”(Machiavelli 35) “ God our Father hasmade all things depend on faith so that whoever has faith will have everything, and whoever does not have faith will have nothing.” (Luther 13) This quote truly shows how strongly Luther felt about faith and the connection to God with no middle man.
Task A In the article “Bill Nye Says Nay: ‘Science Guy’ Opposes Teaching of Creationism” the author is making an argument against the teaching of creationism in addition to evolution in public school science classes. The author identifies himself as a former public school student who has respect for other’s religious belief, but feels that they have no place in government funded schools. The author of this article, Noah Fitzgerel, is an intern for the group Americans United, an organization who is dedicated to the separation of church and state. The author refers to the teaching of creationism as “proselytizing young people” because it is based on “biblical literism” which he views as evangelism. He believes that teaching creationism is
In the midst of Hitler’s mass killings, the Catholic Church could not speak out in accordance with the concordat. The Catholic Church was a simplified Holy Institution unable to stop a darkening Nazi Regime. In Victoria Barnett’s article The Role of the Church: Compliance and Confrontation, she explains how the church acted ”Churches throughout Europe were mostly silent while Jews were persecuted, deported and murdered by the Nazis. Churches, especially those in Nazi Germany, sought to act, as institutions tend to do, in their own best interests -- narrowly defined, short-sighted interests.”(Barnett) The inability of the Catholic Church to resist Hitler’s regime left them as an independent institution with a front row seat to mass
Also this quote states, “Not an organizer or politician, he moved men by the power of a profoundly religious faith resulting in unshakable trust in God…” This shows us that Martin Luther didn’t persuade people by organizing meetings or telling the people of the city lies, he showed people the wrongs of the Catholic Church, which sparked a new religion. Also, Martin Luther’s actions began the Reformation. Once Luther nailed his 95 Thesis to the castle church in Wittenberg, his words were copied and printed, and they were known all over Germany. The Reformation led to the founding of Christian churches that did not accept the pope’s authority. Luther wanted to reform the Church.
Of the most hated of all is Christianity. The religion this country was started on, when the pilgrims came to share their faith with the Indians. Now the Christians are no longer as fearless as they once were. Why? Our country has forced God to be put in a box called a church and stay there until they feel they can deal with Him.
Others feel that Engel v. Vitale should be overturned on the basis of the unconstitutionality of the “Separation of Church and State.” Although it is now commonplace in court rulings, in 1878, the Supreme Court cited the letter by Thomas Jefferson where the phrase “Separation of Church and State” is found and stated that it meant Congress was deprived of all legislative power over mere religious opinions (Reynolds v. United States). It wasn’t until 1947 that the Supreme Court cited the 8 words “a wall of separation between Church and State” without the context of the letter and sought a separation of basic religious principles from public life (Everson v. Board of Education). Whether for or against religious activities in the public school system, demonstration is readily available of the drastic change in moral life of the American