So, simply stated - the first amendment to this country guarantees freedom of religion. It does not say freedom of Christianity. And while I believe completely that Christianity is the one true religion, I am able to practice and enjoy that belief because of the freedoms afforded in the Constitution.
That freedom of religion applies to all religions. Which so many people do not understand. And do they not understand that if you start denying religious freedoms to one religion, that their religion could be next? If you rationalize discriminating based solely on religion, that argument will eventually be used against you.
Our county is in the middle of a battle b/c a Muslim group bought land here and is planning to build a mosque, cemetery and school. People are in an uproar because the county "approved" it (in quotes because the county can't actually deny it), and because of the outcry, the county put a moratorium on all new building for houses of worship while this is being debated. What is there to debate? They own property - they want to build house of worship. The county is going to get themselves sued. And the people wanting the county to deny it have no idea that what they are demanding is completely unconstitutional. And now, no new churches can be built until this is handled. They could get investigated and sued by the federal government. Geez - what a disaster.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
So, simply stated - the first amendment to this country guarantees freedom of religion. It does not say freedom of Christianity. And while I believe completely that Christianity is the one true religion, I am able to practice and enjoy that belief because of the freedoms afforded in the Constitution.
That freedom of religion applies to all religions. Which so many people do not understand. And do they not understand that if you start denying religious freedoms to one religion, that their religion could be next? If you rationalize discriminating based solely on religion, that argument will eventually be used against you.
Our county is in the middle of a battle b/c a Muslim group bought land here and is planning to build a mosque, cemetery and school. People are in an uproar because the county "approved" it (in quotes because the county can't actually deny it), and because of the outcry, the county put a moratorium on all new building for houses of worship while this is being debated. What is there to debate? They own property - they want to build house of worship. The county is going to get themselves sued. And the people wanting the county to deny it have no idea that what they are demanding is completely unconstitutional. And now, no new churches can be built until this is handled. They could get investigated and sued by the federal government. Geez - what a disaster.
The same thing happened here a couple of years ago. The city spent a crazy amount of money and time ( FOUR YEARS!!!) fighting it...royally pissed me off...
Perhaps there are zoning issues? Is the moratorium based on religion or some other reason, such as unsightliness, not wanting a cemetery in back of neighboring homes, the traffic and congestion it would bring, etc.? The moratorium is on "all houses of worship" so there is no religion singled out, correct?
Personally, the mosques in our area are ornate and over the top that I wouldn't want one in my neighborhood either. Not sure if I would want a church of any denomination nearby because of the traffic they bring.
I don't know of any other "religion" that so radically affects those around them the way Islam does.
We have a mosque.
There have been issues.
The property owners who share property lines have had to erect fences to keep muslims members from using their yard for parking or gatherings.
One neighbor with a pool visible from the mosque was harassed because the women were in their yard in bathing suits.
There was a law suit over Christmas decorations in surrounding yards.
And the odor.
There is an odor from the mosque.
And the call to worship.
It is a constitutional right to have religious freedom.
But, in the experience our county has had, it is a far more intrusive practice than any other. To the point of dominance.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Happening in new England but we already have lots of mosque's so what they want are Muslim only cemeteries. The EPA and other groups fight that since their bodies are allowed to biodegrade, as in no casket. Ground water contamination and all.
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Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
Perhaps there are zoning issues? Is the moratorium based on religion or some other reason, such as unsightliness, not wanting a cemetery in back of neighboring homes, the traffic and congestion it would bring, etc.? The moratorium is on "all houses of worship" so there is no religion singled out, correct?
Personally, the mosques in our area are ornate and over the top that I wouldn't want one in my neighborhood either. Not sure if I would want a church of any denomination nearby because of the traffic they bring.
The moratorium on all houses of worship is illegal in and of itself, but it was only instituted last week after all the outcry over the mosque.
The area for this mosque is not centrally located, it's pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. And trust me, by the comments being said, the main reason is "if you build it, they will come". That's a direct quote. As is the fear that middle easterners will re-settle here.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
Happening in new England but we already have lots of mosque's so what they want are Muslim only cemeteries. The EPA and other groups fight that since their bodies are allowed to biodegrade, as in no casket. Ground water contamination and all.
Happening in new England but we already have lots of mosque's so what they want are Muslim only cemeteries. The EPA and other groups fight that since their bodies are allowed to biodegrade, as in no casket. Ground water contamination and all.
That's called a natural cemetery and that is not just Muslims. The Jews have them, and even our Catholic monastery has one. And ground water is going to get a whole lot more contaminated by formaldehyde than natural decomposition. Do you know how many thousands of animals die and decompose in nature every year?
That's one of those fake objections used to try to cover the discriminatory purpose behind denying it.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
I'm not sure the First Amendment guarantees that you can build a church or mosque wherever you want. The Free Exercise Clause means that you can practice (or not) without persecution. The Establishment Clause means the government cannot establish or encourage religion in any way. I do agree that the ban on the building on all churches or places of worship is excessive, unless it is a ban on building all churches on that plot of land then I do not see a problem.
The "if you build it, they will come," is a valid concern given what is occurring. But yeah I don't think there's much the average citizen can do unless they have a valid legal reason, such as what I mentioned previously. Even if it's in the middle of the sticks, there are still neighboring properties, traffic patterns, etc.
There is no way the county would win this battle, and I can think of much better things for my tax dollars to be spent on than fighting a losing battle.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
And see, I'd rather fight this than most other things.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Flame me all you want, I don't believe for an instant in "peaceful muslims".
I do want to keep our rights in tact.
But if ANYONE thinks a muslim feels the same, they are a fool.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
I mean, Shirakawa Law doesn't allow other religions in any form.
So "it's their right" is only going to go so far.
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A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
Happening in new England but we already have lots of mosque's so what they want are Muslim only cemeteries. The EPA and other groups fight that since their bodies are allowed to biodegrade, as in no casket. Ground water contamination and all.
That's called a natural cemetery and that is not just Muslims. The Jews have them, and even our Catholic monastery has one. And ground water is going to get a whole lot more contaminated by formaldehyde than natural decomposition. Do you know how many thousands of animals die and decompose in nature every year?
That's one of those fake objections used to try to cover the discriminatory purpose behind denying it.
Not all towns allow them, regardless of religion and the muslims seem to not want to take "no" for an answer.
__________________
Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
Happening in new England but we already have lots of mosque's so what they want are Muslim only cemeteries. The EPA and other groups fight that since their bodies are allowed to biodegrade, as in no casket. Ground water contamination and all.
That's called a natural cemetery and that is not just Muslims. The Jews have them, and even our Catholic monastery has one. And ground water is going to get a whole lot more contaminated by formaldehyde than natural decomposition. Do you know how many thousands of animals die and decompose in nature every year?
That's one of those fake objections used to try to cover the discriminatory purpose behind denying it.
Not all towns allow them, regardless of religion and the muslims seem to not want to take "no" for an answer.
Well, on this, I agree with them. There is absolutely no reason to deny them. It's certainly better than putting more poison in the ground. And if their religion doesn't allow embalming - that's even more reason.
I think being embalmed is the nastiest, most unnatural, creepy, horrifying thing ever. It makes me shudder and if anyone decides to embalm me, I'm going to haunt them horribly.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
Let's just drain all the blood out of bodies, pump them full of poison that preserves you and makes you feel like a wax dummy. It sounds like something a serial killer would do.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
A flock of flirting flamingos is pure, passionate, pink pandemonium-a frenetic flamingle-mangle-a discordant discotheque of delirious dancing, flamboyant feathers, and flamingo lingo.
So, simply stated - the first amendment to this country guarantees freedom of religion. It does not say freedom of Christianity. And while I believe completely that Christianity is the one true religion, I am able to practice and enjoy that belief because of the freedoms afforded in the Constitution.
That freedom of religion applies to all religions. Which so many people do not understand. And do they not understand that if you start denying religious freedoms to one religion, that their religion could be next? If you rationalize discriminating based solely on religion, that argument will eventually be used against you.
- Lawyerlady
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I agree with this 100%
It's also why I don't want our Christian beliefs in law. It sets a very bad precedent. A precedent that could easily be used to make Sharia Law legitimate should Christianity falter as the dominant religion.
If you rationalize legislating based solely on religion, that argument will eventually be used against you.
Our county is in the middle of a battle b/c a Muslim group bought land here and is planning to build a mosque, cemetery and school. People are in an uproar because the county "approved" it (in quotes because the county can't actually deny it), and because of the outcry, the county put a moratorium on all new building for houses of worship while this is being debated. What is there to debate? They own property - they want to build house of worship. The county is going to get themselves sued. And the people wanting the county to deny it have no idea that what they are demanding is completely unconstitutional. And now, no new churches can be built until this is handled. They could get investigated and sued by the federal government. Geez - what a disaster.
- Lawyerlady
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That was a stupid move on the county's part. Enacting a moratorium and looking into it, I mean. If it's a disturbance issue, enact a "maximum decibel" or "distance from source that sound can be heard" if there are complaints.
I wish you luck with your county government. It sounds like you need it.
