I want to recommend to everyone that they get and read a copy of this month's FREE INQUIRY magazine, which does a splendid job of focusing on that question.  Six authors tell you more than you can imagine about the real history- including the real current history - about the subject.  Just a couple of tidbits: - from Susan Jacoby:  "The ungodliness of the Constitution kept popping up in public discourse throughout the nineteenth century, most notably when a powerful group of Protestant ministers came to Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and demanded that he support an amendment to declare Jesus Christ, not "We the People" the source of all governmental power. Lincoln, a canny politician who knew when not to take on another battle in the middle of a bloody civil war, declined to take any action and instead went along with a move to placate teh ministers by putting "In God We Trust" on a two-penny coin in 1864........ Little did he know that nearly 150 years later, right-wing politicians would employ that slogan to attack the much older motto  E Pluribus Unum." -  Today, Catholic bishops who want to receive funds from Federal programs while imposing their religious doctrines on employees and patients alike are not like the Mormon charities, who refuse to accept government money.  The Catholic Bishops' fight with Obama over womens' health insurance issues is as much about their inability to cinvince their own flock to follow the church's lead on sexual issues. The bishops are attempting to reassert control over Catholic hospitals - some of them run by uppity nuns- where church doctrine has been violated for years when it comes to such matters as the morning-after pill for rape victims and abortions needed to save a mother's life.  There are pages of stuff like that in this issue of Free Inquiry. Well worth keeping as ammunition when we need help to educate and fight the evil doers! Dave The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.

--
Please Note: If you hit "REPLY", your message will be sent to everyone on this mailing list ([address removed])
This message was sent by Dave Huntsman ([address removed]) from The Cleveland Freethinkers.
To learn more about Dave Huntsman, visit his/her member profile
Set my mailing list to email me As they are sent | In one daily email | Don't send me mailing list messages

Meetup, PO Box 4668 #37895 New York, New York 10163-4668 | [address removed]