Quote from RCG Trader:
Government starts at the local level, Mav. and in a town of 200 people it very much matters where or if one goes to church. Next thing you know, these little hovels form county governments, and so on.
Do you seriously think Obama just picked Rev. Wright's church just because? They all but told him he can't work there if he does not join a church.
I think you gather information in isolation, and that is not a good thing. Study the politics at the grass roots level of Chicago, and then tell me churches have no power that the government does not give, lol.
Quote from Maverick74:
Ron this is becoming frustrating. All the churches in Chicago that have power have that power because of the corrupt local politicians that give them that power. The church gives them votes, the politicians return in kind.
I grew up in a small town of 10k Ron. The churches had zero power there. ZERO! You are living in the 1800's. If the church had any kind of power we would all be Scientologists.
Quote from Brass:
That is a specious argument. Without anyone keeping it in check, the church will then get its way by throwing its considerable and accumulated weight around.
What is the sound of one invisible hand clapping?
Quote from RCG Trader:
You might have grown up there, but clearly you left before you knew how small towns run their politics.
And about your frustration, again, you seem tightly wound. We are having a conversation and expressing points of view.
What are you getting frustrated about?
Quote from Maverick74:
Because you keep ignoring my main point. That in every single example you gave, the power was given to the church by the government. The church has no power in this country on it's own.
Quote from RCG Trader:
I concede your point.
My next question. How do we roll back this overreaching government?
Quote from Maverick74:
By making it smaller. By moving it from the federal level to the state level. From the state to the local. You support liberty over subsidies. You give people back their money and let them spend it how they want to. You allow businesses to grow without over reaching regulations.
Christianity is the dominant religion in the US. Proponents of "faith" now wish to lord over science education, reproductive rights, and medical scientific research. If the government were to step out of the way, do you actually think it would limit religion's influence over unwilling members of the population? I see that you, yourself, are in no short supply of tinfoil.Quote from Maverick74:
This is tinfoil talk. Which church? Which religion? Which state? You act like there is one church in this country. Catholics hate protestants. Protestants hate Catholics. Episcopalians hate Methodists. Lutherans hate baptists. Come on man, there is no one church. In fact, that is the one thing you have going for you in this country. We have so many churches and so many religions with so many different agendas that none of them have any power. Perhaps if they unionized? LOL.
Quote from Brass:
Christianity is the dominant religion in the US. Proponents of "faith" now wish to lord over science education, and reproductive rights. If the government were to step out of the way, you think it would limit religion's influence? I see that you, yourself, are in no short supply of tinfoil.