11 December 2007

Church & State Make Nice

I heard about this and had to look it up for myself. I will withhold comment and allow you to read the bill and make up your own mind. Please feel free to comment and share your views.

You can look it up for yourself on the Thomas Law Locator:


110th CONGRESS
1st Session

H. RES. 847

Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 6, 2007

Mr. KING of Iowa (for himself, Mr. AKIN, Mrs. BACHMANN, Mr. BAKER, Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina, Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. CARTER, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. DAVID DAVIS of Tennessee, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. FEENEY, Mr. FORTENBERRY, Ms. FOXX, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. GINGREY, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. HAYES, Mr. HERGER, Mr. ISSA, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr. JORDAN of Ohio, Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. KLINE of Minnesota, Mr. KUHL of New York, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. LAMPSON, Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California, Mr. MCCAUL of Texas, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mrs. MCMORRIS RODGERS, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mrs. MUSGRAVE, Mrs. MYRICK, Mr. NEUGEBAUER, Mr. POE, Mr. SALI, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. TERRY, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. WALBERG, Mr. WELDON of Florida, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky, and Mrs. DRAKE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs


RESOLUTION

Recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith.

Whereas Christmas, a holiday of great significance to Americans and many other cultures and nationalities, is celebrated annually by Christians throughout the United States and the world;

Whereas there are approximately 225,000,000 Christians in the United States, making Christianity the religion of over three-fourths of the American population;

Whereas there are approximately 2,000,000,000 Christians throughout the world, making Christianity the largest religion in the world and the religion of about one-third of the world population;

Whereas Christians identify themselves as those who believe in the salvation from sin offered to them through the sacrifice of their savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and who, out of gratitude for the gift of salvation, commit themselves to living their lives in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Bible;

Whereas Christians and Christianity have contributed greatly to the development of western civilization;

Whereas the United States, being founded as a constitutional republic in the traditions of western civilization, finds much in its history that points observers back to its roots in Christianity;

Whereas on December 25 of each calendar year, American Christians observe Christmas, the holiday celebrating the birth of their savior, Jesus Christ;

Whereas for Christians, Christmas is celebrated as a recognition of God's redemption, mercy, and Grace; and

Whereas many Christians and non-Christians throughout the United States and the rest of the world, celebrate Christmas as a time to serve others: Now, therefore be it

    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
      (1) recognizes the Christian faith as one of the great religions of the world;
      (2) expresses continued support for Christians in the United States and worldwide;
      (3) acknowledges the international religious and historical importance of Christmas and the Christian faith;
      (4) acknowledges and supports the role played by Christians and Christianity in the founding of the United States and in the formation of the western civilization;
      (5) rejects bigotry and persecution directed against Christians, both in the United States and worldwide; and
      (6) expresses its deepest respect to American Christians and Christians throughout the world.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do these folks want to work for the government or the church? Sounds like they want to make it one in the same. I believe they may have misinterpreted what the founding fathers were saying with the whole "seperation of church and state" part.

Anonymous said...

What the heck???? That's unconstitutional! There must be a big mistake or someone is trying to slip one by....you know seeing if anyone is paying attention....yet again.
smile

Anonymous said...

Sorry Karen, the vote was 372 for, 9 against and 40 abstentions.

Erik said...

Sorry Karen..."What Constitution?" was correct when he/she listed the vote count. I have yet to find anyone, Christian or otherwise, who thought that this was a good idea.

Some of my Christian friends liked the idea until they read the bill and considered the ramifications.

I'd love to receive comments from someone who liked/supported it.

Anonymous said...

Apparently, all other major world religions are not being condidered as foundations of civilizations.

Is it only through the worshipping of Christ that we have made it this far?

Anonymous said...

You really must check out this site. You know me and you know I am a full-tilt Christian, but I am opposed to what they are doing! It is a dangerous precedent they are setting.

Check out this site to do something about it.

Anonymous said...

these people make me feel bad about being a Christian!

Not the commenters. The legislators.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I forgot to leave the link. Here it is. Thanks for letting me know, Erik.

http://www.au.org

Anonymous said...

We are closer to a theocracy than Iran is to having nuclear weapons.

Anonymous said...

Let's see. Nuclar (sic) weapons; Torture of prisoners; a budget that hasn't passed yet ('sposed to be passed in September); Mega trillion dollar debt; Iraq war; etc...and our legislators have time to pass this stupid resolution? I think you get the message. The meek will truly inherit the earth!

Anonymous said...

Wow! Scary! Our children already pledge to country (don't mind that too much) and god (mind that A LOT) every day. In Texas they pledge to the state flag under god's name as well. Guess that wasn't enough for some people. Looking at history, yes Christians founded this country, yes they settled due to persecution in their own home countries, but that isn't what made America great. Einstein was a refugee from WW2, he wasn‘t even made in America (nor was he a Christian)! Thoughts, progression, and challenges to existing norms made America what it is today. If Christians feel that this is due to their god, great! But, why should that be seared onto everyone else as well?

Anonymous said...

Were any of these people paying attention in History class? They DID go to school, right? Martin Luther...the Pilgrims, anybody? Beuler? Beuler?

Anonymous said...

>(5) rejects bigotry and persecution directed against Christians, both in the United States and worldwide;

So all those homosexual Xians can now do what when they're victims of bigotry and persecution?