Saturday, September 24, 2011 "Religious toleration"

Saturday, September 24, 2011

"Religious toleration"

First From Julie's Keyboard:

Last week as we closed, we finished up our thoughts with "things we should think on."  I was reminded a few days ago of a comment our youngest son made while writing sentences in his language arts school work.  He had to form a sentence for the word "minds." 

 So, he writes: "We're the only ones who know what's in our minds."

Rather pleased with his creation, he told me what he had written.  As I told him, while it's a good sentence in structure, if you're shooting for the truth, we've missed it a bit.

I had to remind him that God knows everything we're thinking about.  With this, it's almost as if the bulb turned brighter in his mind as he said, "Oh dear!" LOL

Isn't it so?  Right out of the mouths of babes, so often, comes the precious awareness of truth.  It's so odd how we can seemingly know something, but it is not really a revelation to us.  Our Heavenly Father loves so much to reveal Himself to us.  But it comes with some seeking on our part.  He has so many "good things" for us to dwell our thoughts upon.  Yet, it seems they will not just fall upon us as we go about in this world conducting our lives no differently from the culture of things.

As loving and merciful as our wonderful Heavenly Father is, He gives us free choice.  I heard a message this week dealing with the fact that even the choice to do evil was available, as in the Garden of Eden.  Without this choice, man would simply be a robot or puppet to His Creator.  God has given us free will and the capacity to make decisions toward a life of promise in Him or unfortunately to our own demise in the kingdom of the Prince of this world.

What will it be today?  Time is fleeting.  The moments are passing.  What will be your decision?  He's calling you.  Many are called.  Few are chosen.  He's chosen you by sending His only begotten Son to redeem you and I.  Will you respond to the Gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord?  He sent Christ here for this purpose.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Will you believe today?

Blessings,

Julie

******************************

"Religious toleration"

Much is being said in America today about religious toleration, it seems we are almost confused as to what it even is.  Many of us are walking on nails afraid we are going to offend someone with some statement or act.  Even to the point that our 911 ceremonies this year ban clergy and prayers of any religious nature.

How is it that we have become so confused over something that was once so clearly understood and documented in our history?  In an effort to clarify the issue I decided to ask one of our early courts about the issue.

I have decided to gather together the Supreme Court of South Carolina in the year 1846 and see if they can give some clarity to this issue.

As an entity of American Jurisprudence, how do you believe we as Americans should view religious toleration according to American law and society?

Well,  as an answer to your question I would ask you, "What gave to us this noble safeguard of religious toleration . . . ? It was Christianity. . . . But this toleration, thus granted, is a religious toleration; it is the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, with two provisos, one of which, that which guards against acts of licentiousness, testifies to the Christian construction. . . .

What constitutes the standard of good morals? Is it not Christianity? There certainly is none other. . . . The day of moral virtue in which we live would, in an instant, if that standard were abolished, lapse into the dark and murky night of Pagan immorality. . . .

In the Courts over which we preside, we daily acknowledge Christianity as the most solemn part of our administration.  A Christian witness, having no religious scruples about placing his hand upon the book, is sworn upon the holy Evangelists, the books of the New Testament which testify of our Savior's birth, life, death, and resurrection; this is so common a matter that it is little thought of as an evidence of the part which Christianity has in the common law. . . .

I agree fully to what is beautifully and appropriately said in Updegraph v. Commonwealth . . . Christianity, general Christianity, is and always has been, a part of the common law: "not Christianity founded on any particular religious tenets; not Christianity with an established Church . . . but Christianity with liberty of conscience to all me." - - - - City Council of Charleston v. S.A.Benjamin, page 522-524 (Sup. Ct. S.C. 1846)

Thank you so much for clarifying that for us, so we can conclude that America did legislate according to Christian standards of conduct for social behavior, but it did not tell other religions how, where, when, or whether to worship as long as their religious practices were not licentious or subversive to public morality or safety.  America granted broad religious toleration to other religions not in spite of, but because of its Christian beliefs.  I wonder why this is so hard for us to understand today?  Could it be because we have forgotten our founding principles and how they apply to us and our society?  A good study of who we use to be might shed some light on who we are today and perhaps where we should be going!

May God bless each of you,

David