Kindly, let us discuss. Of the 101 pilgrims that arrived, half were religious folk looking for more freedom to worship the way they individually desired. The other 50 were non-religious and looking for new lifestyle opportunities. Sounds good, romantic even, right? Yet, both groups were not considered ideal. Much less! The religious were out of the English mainstream and even thought of as fanatical. The other 50 were basicslly seen as misfits, opportunists and unemployable. After their first winter half of the 101 were dead. Of the surviving 50 and the additions arriving thereafter, radical behavior and ideology became their hallmark. This group formented the Salem witch trials. Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, formented the radical notion that the church should minister to the flocks spiritual need while government need take care of the social compact (separation of church and state). Look what this has boiled down to today. Still have loonies finding all sorts of witches, whether it be gays, minorities, or people who dare believe differently than they. Not a good thing to many. On the other hand, separation of church and state is firmly entrenched in western democracy. This ideal, once regarded as a bedrock of American fundamentalism, is now worshipprd by the majority but under assault by a highly vocal and increasingly powerful minority. The point: philosophy of government is complex. Whats right to some is wrong to others. The marketplace of ideas, exploration, conversation, compromise...and all that accompanies...is the only way the U. S. has survived for over 200 years and it is the only viable way forward. Keep up the wonderful discussions and hopefully we can add another 200+ years to the productivity and well-being of our country!
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 08:01:09 +0000
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