Ban of all Religious States
September 14, 2009 - 9:52pm
I think we need to campaign all nations around the world to not be Religious States
So for example
Israel should become Secular,
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran, Kuwait, Afghanistan etc should become secular
They should all be like Canada and follow places like USA, England
Where the gov't doesnt follow 1 religion and it is not integrated in the LAW and if by change there are small instances, you have the freedom to sue the govt...for example, if Canada has a old law that said jesus or God, if we fight it, it will 90% be reformed and changed. But is religious states like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, it is very hard for people not of the main religion
God is mentioned in the Constitution of Canada and the national anthem (English version). The French version of the anthem also has religious lyrics and imagery.
The Church of England is the official, established church of the United Kingdom.
Campaigning for secularism begins at home.
It's pointless - the United States was explicitly founded as a secular state, yet that country is plagued by religious fundamentalism that profoundly influences both domestic and foreign policy.
What precisely would such a ban achieved? Isn't nationalism just religion by another name?
Isn't nationalism just religion by another name?
Precisely! The real enemy is dogma.
Isn't nationalism just religion by another name?
You mean making school kids sing the national anthem every day is just like making them sing hymns?
Maybe someone should alert the Nova Scotia NDP.
I suggested Solidarity Forever as an alternative in that thread.
Treating nationalism and religion as different pehenomeon is specious at best.
Because a belief in one's country, and the policies of that country, is exactly the same as believing in an invisible, benevolent ghost.
I'll concede this: both can spawn zealots and nutjobs, but as much as I don't support kids being pressured to sing the anthem, Canada is at least here, and we can all see it, and we can all agree that it exists.
And just who precisely is going to ban them?
I'm not even sure I can do that as a moderator. (not with this new software, anyway)
Ban who, Oldgoat?
Theocracies. Oldgoat lacks those powers. I think we all lack those powers, at least as regards other states.
Very good. I think we could probably replace "God" with "Gord" in the anthem and Constitution, and it would still sort of make sense. What else?
I'm totally down with campaigning for secularism at home.
Does that include drug induced religious states?
I think Canada should adopt Rastifarianism as its state religion and persecute anyone who doesn't take the sacred sacrement.
"Below are some of the main foundational beliefs of Rastafarians. The other articles will provide some of the other beliefs and standards
http://www.jamaicans.com/culture/rasta/believe.shtml
"But the Court of Cassation said the court of first appeal had failed to consider that the man smoked because of his religious beliefs. According to the high court, Rastafarianism allows for smoking up to 10 grams a day. Rastas smoke the herb "with the memory and in the belief that the sacred plant grew on the tomb of King Solomon," the court said. They use it "not only as a medical but also as a meditative herb. And, as such [it is] a possible bearer of the psychophysical state of contemplation and prayer."
The conservative Italian government is not happy. The ruling "shatters the laws which forbid and proscribe penal sanctions for" the use of illegal drugs, an Interior Ministry spokesman said in remarks reported by London's The Independent.
"Today we learn a Rasta is free to go around with drugs. If somebody belonged to a religion which permitted them to eat their children, would they give them the go-ahead, too?" worried right-wing Senator Maurizio Gasparri.
Radical Party Senator Marco Perduca was more concerned about practitioners of Italy's most popular religion. He suggested to ItaliaNews that Italian Catholic pot smokers should find their own saint to worship."
http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/543/italian_court_rastafarians_marijuana