But I bet the leftists will oppose this idea because it diminishes government power over people.

This really is the crux, isn’t it. I nearly got into a serious disagreement with my DIL several weeks ago about the “immersion” course in California 7th grade social studies deemed perfectly ok by the 9th federal circuit court. Her position was that if teaching about Christianity was ok, then teaching about Islam was ok too. I told her that teaching about Christianity in the same was was _not_ ok, but could send her cases to demonstrate it. I let the whole thing drop because I realized that the crucial issue was that I believe that Islam is the core of the problem, and she does not. I believe that Muslims – most of them – are enemies, she does not. I think this is the critical issue with most Liberals, and until we get their recognition of the basic problem, life is going to be tense.

Oh yeah…I really _do_ think teaching about Islam in school is a good idea, but I strongly suspect that the way I’d have it taught wouldn’t be very politically correct, and therefore would be unacceptable!

That should end most of the nonsense.

If 10% or more of the students are from a special ethnic group or religion that does observe a holiday, great. Go for it.

If not — stop already. Take the day off if you must, but don’t impose it on the whole school.

Turkey has developed a form of “moderate Islam” at the point of a gun. The US has a fair number of moderate Muslims who prefer the developed world to swatting sand fleas.

However, to be a moderate Muslim is to deny the pillars of Islam. So, what is at stake is weaning the Muslim away from basic tenets of his religious belief system. Discard Sharia law. Forget the infidel stuff. Hang out with a few Christians and a couple of Jews. Have a beer.

Mr. Morris encourages Christians to take “their intellectual responsibilities seriously again”. I say, to heck with Christians and Jews. Let the atheists and agnostics look into the belly of the beast, radical Islam, and teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.

Arnold Toynbee, the celebrated historian of the world’s civilizations noted: “Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.”

Too many on the sidelines of religion do not understand the very basic concept that a war for survival can be waged by only side fighting out of religious fervor. The atheists and agnostics may throw stones at the Christians and Jews, but, like Nick Berg learned, being a pacifist or a critical bystander never swayed a fanatic Muslim.

For the sake of everyone, I hope that the fairytale of Darwinian evolution is hard at work on creating a “religion of peace” out of the Islamic cauldron. The first step will be the inclusion in Islam of a form of “The Golden Rule.” Islam is the only major religion in the history of the world that does not incorporate it as a basic belief. You can look it up. That’s my take on intellectual responsibilty.

As to the larger issue, America gives religious freedom not simple toleration so it is proper then for the Muslims to request that their holidays be respected and treated equally. This is a conflict for many Americans who believe that this is a Christian Country. Honestly we must admit that America is a secular Country with a strong Christian influence. My problem with the whole issue is that Islam its self does not hold to religious freedom and holds minorities in dihimmitude. This should not cause us to limit their freedom but rather be wary of the tendencies of Islam to become radical. America does need to be cautious in allowing Islam to dictate its principles outside of Muslim communities.

How tolerant is Islam? Shouldn’t that be a deciding factor as well? Christianity tolerates a great many faiths…would Islam? Sure they do here in the US but that is because the majority religions are tolerant of them. If you look at other nations around the world, their tolerance falls by the wayside for religious dogma.

I don’t think that we should be blackmailed or intimidated into adding other “faiths” into our public school system. These are the same tactics as the ACLU…the ‘Do it or else!’ clause that has intimidated so many groups into hiding their Christian faith in the public forum. Christianity is under attack in our country and we want to bring Islam into the fold? How does that help our country?

What next? Instead of the White House Prayer Breakfast their going to start having a ‘Call to Prayer’ in the White House where they all take out their prayer rugs and pray toward Mecca? And if they don’t do this then the Muslims are going to demand that all prayer is stopped in the White House?

They can buy a calendar that contains their holidays and they can take those days off if they choose to do so…changing everyone’s calendar to let us know why they aren’t at school or work that day goes to serve what purpose?

So I beg to differ with many of you. I believe that our nation was founded on Christian Principles and those principles have given our nation strength in the hard times and clarity in the troubling times of our past. We are a Christian majority nation and that majority does not impose it’s will upon minority faiths according to the Constitution. A minority faith imposing its will upon us is just as counter productive. The ACLU and the like finding offense with a cross in a field or on a tomb stone but fails to take offense when a greek goddess located on a county seal just reveals the double standard being used to address this issue.

What next…Satan’s Birthday? If I’m not mistaken, the Catholics have many religious days and observances that never appear on a public/secular calendar or observed in public schools…Why aren’t they in an uproar about not observing Saint so-in-so day in our public schools?

To sum it up clearly:

regarding faith: http://theworkingpatriot.blogspot.com/2006/03/declaration-of-christ-redemption.html

regarding gay marriage: Genesis 2:24 sums it up for me.

Mike DiBartolo
TWP

LaShawn Barber writes about a school district that received a request to have the school closed for some Muslim Holidays. They close for Jewish holidays because the cost of getting Jewish substitute teahcers is just too expensive. If it ever gets that …

I understand where you are coming from, but as long as we have people who are arrogant enough to believe that they are the only ones with the true path to G-d we have a problem.

That is all inclusive as we see this with all religions.

And our religious ends will be better served by Christians willing and able to intellectually engage other religions, not Christians who simply try to keep Muslims from proselytizing or keep Islam from becoming a part of American culture. I personally think that Britney Spears is a greater threat to the production of effective Christians than moderate Islam. Most people — Christians and otherwise — are vapid and emotional, and simply try to shut things up that they don’t like or dont’ agree with. Concern with the deeper issues is absent from intellectual discourse. Perhaps a tolerance of moderate Islam would encourage Christians to begin taking their intellectual responsibilities seriously again.

As for what Islam has contributed to the world, it was Islam’s fascination with ancient Greek philosophy that brought it to the attention of Europe, spurring the Renaissance and Enlightenment (not all of which were bad, by the way). The Islamic world contributed mathematical concepts, Arabic numerals, triangular sails, and a host of other innovations that were brought back from the Crusades.