Quote from: Zamicol on June 06, 2011, 09:19:00 AM

Quote from: frycicle on June 05, 2011, 07:15:55 PM

The Founding Fathers envisioned a robustly Christian yet religiously tolerant America, with churches serving as vital institutions that would eclipse the state in importance. Ron Paul

Through perverse court decisions and years of cultural indoctrination, the elitist, secular Left has managed to convince many in our nation that religion must be driven from public view. The justification is always that someone, somewhere, might possibly be offended or feel uncomfortable living in the midst of a largely Christian society, so all must yield to the fragile sensibilities of the few. The ultimate goal of the anti-religious elites is to transform America into a completely secular nation, a nation that is legally and culturally biased against Christianity. Ron Paul

You know, 'cause Thomas Jefferson wasn't religious at all. Libertarian principles have no problem with religious references in state documents or by officials as long as the state is not forcing those views on the populace. What's wrong with a "God bless American" or "...endowed by their creator..."? Separation of church and state is not saying religion can have no influence on the state, it's that the state must not be permitted influence on your religious activities. If Iraq became a libertarian state, I would not expect it to be void of Islamic references. Based on the USA's western roots, it would be unreasonable to expect it to be void of western religious references/philosophy.

I imagine a place mature enough where poeple do not become inflamed by a passing "May you be blessed by Allah", "God Bless", "May you be touched by His noodily Appendages." It's ok, it's not a threat to you personally, you just have to be more open minded and accepting. Could you just take the goodwill at face value?

Quote from: hugolp on June 05, 2011, 08:29:40 PM

Im an atheist and I would be happy to have Ron Paul in the White House.

Amen!

The word god is not a threat to me personally if it comes from a random person, but it is a threat if it is printed on a dollar, or federally funded in any other manner.

During the cold war, the United States changed their motto from some latin phrase, to "in god we trust." The only reason they did this was to separate themselves from "godless communists."

As for the founding fathers, many were Diest. That is a religion that does not really exist today, it's a faith that combines god with science, and rejects the importance of institutionalized religion. Jefferson himself was Diest and did not believe Jesus was the son of god, although he followed the teachings of Jesus.