this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2023
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Atheism

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Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy asserted on Sunday that Americans did not have Constitutional rights preventing religion from being imposed upon them.

During a Fox News Sunday discussion about recent baptisms of students at Auburn University, co-host Pete Hegseth reported that the Freedom From Religion group was behind a lawsuit against the university.

"It's not in the constitution!" Campos-Duffy interrupted.

"As Rachel points out, it's freedom of religion, not freedom from religion," Hegseth agreed. "So they're an anti-faith, anti-Christian group."

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says "that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise," according to the White House website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-Z8-4XgFos

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm sure she would feel the exact same way if the religious ritual in question were Islamic or Satanic instead of Christian, right? Right?

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago

All of these "you're going to be MY religion" legal attempts fail the Veil of Ignorance test. It's so simple to poke holes in their arguments from basic logic and basic empathy that it's almost tough to address it because it's so stupid from the outset.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

So glad to see Fox News is openly in favor of Sharia law.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Treaty of Tripoli, 1797, Article 11 states:

As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion

That, to christianists (as opposed to the seemingly few Christians who actually read their own holy book and know it says to keep your faith to yourself), means the opposite of what it says. They're deeply stupid people.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

They are not deeply stupid. They are deeply dishonest.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I really don't think it says keep your faith to yourself.

It does say to look after the poor, the sick and the foreigners, to not turn the temple into a market, and to pay fair wages, it says not to judge others and not to make rules for others to follow whilst not following them yourself, it says that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven, that if you're rich you should sell stuff and give the money to the poor, and it says that you should forgive other people's debt to you.

That's why Conservatives aren't terribly keen on actual stuff Jesus said or actual things the disciples did.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I really don’t think it says keep your faith to yourself.

Well it does say

Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

And

5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

But a lot of Christians are not great about it

https://www.biblehub.com/niv/matthew/6.htm

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yeah there are several verses (mostly New Testament I think) about sharing one's faith with literally everyone.


Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Matthew 28:19


He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

Mark 16:15

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

This is the kind of thing I was thinking of.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They're two separate concepts. One is sharing the gospel, basically recruiting. The other is practicing your own faith, which should be done with modesty, in private. We've all seen the people who loudly pray about everything and want to show everyone how godly they are. Jesus said that they've already received their rewards, since their goal is to impress people, not have a relationship with God. God recognizes their falseness.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

God recognizes their falseness.

Out of curiosity, how does a figment of people's imagination do that?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

OK, yup. Fair point.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Congress shall make no law

i think a lot of people misunderstand positive vs negative rights. the US Constitution doesn't grant rights. the Declaration of Independence declared all are endowed with rights by a creator. that is the origin of our rights - inalienable. the Constitution doesn't grant anything. it establishes the structure of a federal government, and the amendments to that guarantee what already exists in the Declaration. it limits power of an authority over a person.

a very divisive example is arms. the Constitution doesn't grant americans the right to keep and bear arms. it limits the government from prohibiting such.

of course...this is the intent not necessarily the reality

edit:
also the lack of critical thinking of this argument is so astounding i didn't even notice it at first...no freedom from religion...which...one? which version of that one...? the constitution - which compels nothing but the government - can...compel americans to all be...uh - jehovah's witnesses? mormons? sunni? bahai?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The way they likely interpret it is you get one of two choices

Evangelism

Clearly a CSAM creating predator.

If you're not one, you must be the other.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Fundamentalist evangelicals of course. Pssh.

It's crazy how many Americans don't understand the concept of inalienable rights. Their minds can't process that they have rights by nature, and they think all of their rights are granted by the government. I've gotten into huge arguments with people about this because they just can't fathom that there doesn't need to be a compelling reason for something to be legal, on the contrary, there needs to be a compelling reason for something to be made illegal. We all have natural freedoms, the government doesn't give us those, they can only take them away.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So these fucking tyrants think they're so cunning by changing the word "of" to the word "from" do they? It's not really surprising they said it considering their entire schtick is being inflammatory and divisive. They'll happily feed any lie to their viewers as long as it keeps them riled up. I seriously don't understand how their viewers have the energy to stay confrontational and angry 100% of the time. It'll be interesting to see if the rate of death by heart attack and stroke is considerably higher at a younger age as all these FOX news fans continue aging. Stress is a real killer, and FOX news pumps out stress 24/7.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

The words "freedom of religion" are not even in the Constitution. The actual wording is more precise and if this Fox News host could read they would be very upset by what it said.