Separation of Church and State.

[cypress]

Today I heard that a Baptist Minister kicked out several church members because they did not vote a certain way.

IMO I think it is wrong. The church want to say if you don't vote
republican we are in sin because if the pro choice vs pro life 
battle. What they need to do is sit down and think that we are at war
right now. The republicans are pro war. Isnt that killing too? If we
are going to vote soley based on religious values then clearly neither
one of the choices are aceptable.

The whole basis of forming the United States of America was that we are
free to choose which religion to follow and to choose the elected
officials that govern us. Separation of Church and State is one of the
things that makes us who we are.

[cypress]

ndurran,

The point I was trying to make is that the churches are hypocrits to
ban church members because of the way they vote. Since we are all
sinners does that make all of us banned from our religion? "Let he who
has no sin cast the first stone." Are churches going to start kicking
people out because they break one of the 10 commandments.

Killing is still killing. The US is not at war in the name of God. The
people you mentioned in bibilical times were protecting their land
which was rightfully theirs which was their so called promise land. It
was either kill or be killed.  We are not in Iraq because we are
defending our teritory or somthing that is rightfully ours. Of all the
money we spent on this war we could have probeably built houses for
every homeless person here in the US.

I am pro choice. Don't mistake this for pro abortion. It is not my
place to ultimately judge the president, women who have an abortion or
the doctors who perform abortion.

I support our troopes and I hope that we can do the best job we can
do.  Aslo, dont mistake supporting our troops for supporting our
presidents.

[Ghaleon]

I'm with you cypress.  We should not be at war for religious reasons.  And being a Christian, I might have a different take on it. I'm against it because it is unspeakably arrogant to presume to know the mind of God in such a matter.
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding”(Job 38:4)
I always have a hard time trusting someone who claims to understand God's will (e.g. G.W.) ; especially when it convieniently coincides with their own intrest...

[cypress]

Wow, Ghaleon, you are back. I thought we lost you there. Come visit the forum more often. 

[Ghaleon]

yeah, it's been a while.  I've been living up in the north
country, writing my theology D.S.  in a cabin that dosen't even
have running water (let alone an internet connection).  I finally
found an internet cafe the next town over and will probably try to make
it there once or twice a week. It's good to be back.