ISLAM A PEACEFUL RELIGION?

Military Religious Freedom Foundation:

So you people think muslims are nice and islam is a peaceful religion? But Franklin Graham is evil? Are all of you nuts or just evil yourselves?
All the terrorist acts over the past 40 years have been committed by muslim males between the ages of 17 and 40. When have you ever heard of Christians or Jews putting bombs on themselves or their children how insane is that?) then going into a crowd of innocent people and blowing themselves up so they can kill others and go to heaven and get 72 virgins? Never! It is the islam nuts that do that. When has a Christian or a Jew ever hi-jacked a plane? Right in the islam so called bible it reads,” anyone that is not muslim are of the great satan and worthy of death, cut off their hands, cut off their heads”. Go read it for yourselves. muslims are evil, islam is evil. Too bad King Richard did not have enough troops to kill all of them!!!! Oh, by the way I didn’t capitalize muslim on purpose. Before you go off on evil King Richard, he did not go to the Mideast to kill muslims because they were muslims. He went there because the muslims had sealed off Jerusalem and would not let anyone in that was not muslim. The muslims or Arabs were also invading other countries in the area, raping, burning, stealing and killing people. Gee, does what the muslims from Iraq did when they invaded Kuwait sound similar? They rapped the women, killed a lot of people, stole and set their oil fields on fire. Sounds just like the Arabs King Richard went to fight.

Your organization must be run by terrorist loving communist; all of you should be kicked out of the United States, better yet put in prison for trying to over throw the CHRISTIAN NATION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!

By the way I served 26 years in Air Force and the idea that an organization like yours exists and has the nerve to use a military name for your organization is more than insulting!!!

(name withheld)

Hi (name withheld)

My call sign was (withheld).

Thank you for your message. My name is Rick Baker.  I’m a regional coordinator for MRFF. Everyone is up to their hard points answering our mail this week so I wanted to make sure your e-mail got answered.

We don’t think Islam is a peaceful religion in toto. But we know that all of Islam is not like the suicide bombers and their ilk. But we must be careful in throwing stones because as insane as blowing yourself and your children up for God, we must remember that Christianity has a penchant for violence as well.  Christians pulled the fingernails out of the trembling hands of children during the inquisition, they burned innocent women at the stake for witchcraft, they pressed to death and drowned innocent women and children for sleeping with devils. There’s enough insanity to go around. Especially when you consider the thousands of child rapes, and molestations recently exposed by Christian priests  and their subsequent cover ups by church hierarchy and even the Pope. So it appears we have crazies on both sides of the aisle.

Oh, and I wouldn’t  be too sure about the Muslim Martyrs getting 72 virgins and a gold palace in heaven for dying in service to Allah.  Actually that was a typo. They get only one virgin and she’s 72 years old.  And the palace of gold is 6X12 inches in scale and only gold filled.

I would be careful about that “Christian  Nation” stuff too. You see, America is a secular nation in which all religions may flourish but none dominate.  I sent this au clair  so you coud get a handle on it.

Can’t seem to find one reference to Christ, God, Zeus, Deus, or any other God in the constitution. You would think that if the US were a Christian nation some mention of it would have been made in our  founding document.

I understand that Muslims can not be very nice and that Rapping  women in Kuwait under Saddam did take place. They also raped them.

All kidding aside, I want to thank you for your service to America. 26 years is longer than I spent in the Air Force but you probably built up an immunity. And probably had patience.

I am a former Air Force Officer and Pilot. I served two tours in Vietnam as an Air Force rescue Pilot. I also flew Air Base crash rescue and firefighting.  There were no easy jobs then.

Despite our differences on the NDP episode, MRFF and I wish you well and assure you we have given pink slips to all the demons, devils and other Liberals in our midst. LOL

In your heart you know that the Pentagon sponsoring a sectarian Christian event is off the scale for being unconstitutional. And with Mr. Graham and his Dominion Christianity approach  to all things religious, it is a Christian Crusade in the making.

Cheers, and keep ’em flying!
Rick Baker
MRFF

One more thing I forgot to mention, in relation to your remark about the Pentagon sponsoring a sectarian Christian event is off the scale for being unconstitutional. If you are referring to the phrase, separation of church and state, that phrase is not and never has been in the Constitution. That phrase has been misquoted from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1805.  In that letter he stated that the separation of church and state must be maintained. He wrote that in meaning this country must never set up a national church like England had. When Congress passed the law forbidding prayer in public schools they violated the first amendment, Congress shall pass no law recognizing the establish of a religion, nor shall it prohibit the free exercise therof.

How about schools serving fish on Fridays when I was in school, I think that was recognizing the Catholics, they broke the law then too.

(name withheld)

Dear (name withheld),

Most of the Amendments to our constitution are just a few lines long. But over the years the US Supreme court has made rulings and decisions that affect  Amendments.  The separation of church and state is implied in the “establishment clause” of the First Amendment and all the rulings thereto attached. To get a full picture on the separation of church and state you must look up the various decisions. There are some on school prayer, religious symbols in government venues, various ways to test and see if an activity is in violation, etc.  I have enclosed a few for your inspection.

Often, in our  desire to validate our closely held beliefs we stubbornly hold on to old tired expressions such as Jefferson’s letter being the only reference to the separation of church and state. There is a wealth  of information available  about the decisions which have effected nearly all the Amendments  and clarified them based on SCOTUS rulings.

So that you understand, you must remember that each amendment which has had decisions made as to it’s full and fair meaning are made a part of that amendment. For example the Supreme Courts recent ruling on the concealed and open carry of guns is now permanently attached to the Second Amendment.

So, yes, (name withheld); there is indeed a separation of Church and State  and you should be thrilled that there is. For just as the First amendment has been held to prevent religion from compromising the constitution, it also  prevents the constitution from compromising religions that operate within its scope of authority.

Some of the finest religious protections in the world are in the writings attached to our constitution.  But remember,  wherein a religion or it practitioners  violate constitutional  provisions, they are subject to civil law.

Revel in your faith but remember everyone else’s must be allowed to flourish equally under the law.

Rick Baker
MRFF

Church and State: How the Court Decides
The Constitutional guarantee for separation of church and state is provided for in the “Establishment Clause” of the First Amendment:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,” Over many years and many cases mainly involving religion in public schools, the Supreme Court has developed three “tests” to be applied to religious practices for determining their constitutionality under the Establishment Clause.

The Lemon Test
Based on the 1971 case of Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602, 612-13, the Court will rule a practice unconstitutional if:

1.It lacks any secular purpose. That is, if the practice lacks any non-religious purpose.
2. The practice either promotes or inhibits religion.
3. Or the practice excessively (in the Court’s opinion) involves government with a religion.

The Coercion Test
Based on the 1992 case of Lee v. Weisman, 505 U.S. 577 the religious practice is examined to see to what extent, if any, pressure is applied to force or coerce individuals to participate.

The Court has defined that “Unconstitutional coercion occurs when: (1) the government directs (2) a formal religious exercise (3) in such a way as to oblige the participation of objectors.”

A  religious body may not interfere with or attempt to disrupt the  practice of other religions.

A religious body is subject to civil law and may not practice  acts which are deemed illegal under law.

The Endorsement Test

Finally, drawing from the 1989 case of Allegheny County v. ACLU, 492 U.S. 573, the practice is examined to see if it unconstitutionally endorses religion by conveying “a message that religion is ‘favored,’ ‘preferred,’ or ‘promoted’ over other beliefs.”

Source: FindLaw’s Constitutional Law Center

“Wherein ‘core religious viewpoints’  are contrary to or abrogate other Constitutional protections, ‘ the free exercise clause’  and or freedom of  ‘expressive association’ as well as its rights to free speech and the free exercise of religion may be curtailed.”

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other…” [Matthew 6:24] This means man cannot effectively serve a religious and a secular government simultaneously. One must be subordinated to the other.  In America secular government prevails under the constitution while at the same time preserving religious freedom of worship.