dave@teltone (Dave Heppner) (08/17/83)
This is for those of you who think that religion (I do not like
the word religion) and the BIBLE had nothing to do with the foun-
dation of this great country of ours.
On OCT. 4,1982 the 97th CONGRESS passed Public Law 97-280, 96
STAT.1211 which authorized and requested the President to pro-
claim 1983 as the "Year of the Bible".
The Joint Resolution is as follows:
Whereas the Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribu-
tion in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed
nation and people; Whereas deeply held religious convictions
springing from the Holy Scriptures led to the early settlement of
our nation; Whereas Biblical teachings inspired concepts of civil
government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence
and the Constitution of the United States; Whereas many of our
great national leaders- among them Presidents Washington, Jack-
son, Lincoln, and Wilson- paid tribute to the surpassing influ-
ence of the Bible in our country's development, as in the words
of President Jackson that the Bible is "the rock on which our
Republic rests"; Whereas the history of our Nation clearly illus-
trates the value of voluntarily applying the teachings of the
Scriptures in the lives of individuals, families, and societies;
Whereas this Nation now faces great challenges that will test
this Nation as it has never been tested before; and Whereas that
renewing our knowledge of and faith in God through Holy Scripture
can strengthen us as a nation and a people: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled, That the President is
authorized and requested to designate 1983 as a national "Year of
the Bible" in recognition of both the formative influence the Bi-
ble has been for our Nation, and our national need to study and
apply the teachings of the Holy Scriptures.
The Law speaks for it self.
Not a religious person but one who believes,
David Heppner.sts@ssc-vax.UUCP (Stanley T Shebs) (08/17/83)
"Year of the Bible" - yuck. stan the l.h. ssc-vax!sts (soon utah-cs)
gumby@mit-eddie.UUCP (David Vinayak Wallace) (08/18/83)
I doubt anyone claims the bible had no part in the origins of the USA.
After all, why did the pilgrims come here? But you fail to recognise
the PLACE the bible has in US history.
The US (and supposedly the constitution) stands for the freedom of
speech and religion. This freedom includes the right not to have one
religion singled out over any other. Imagine the hue and cry had the
Q'ran been singled out instead!
Of course, there is precident. The singling out of Christmas is, I think,
unconstitutional. However it is accepted as it is the "majority"
(actualy plurality) religion; when coupled with Channuka, it accounts for
probably 85% of the population having a holiday then. But I think this
particular singling out is pretty poor. I guess that's why they didn't
publicise it; I'd never heard of it before.
david
PS: Andrew Jackson is a pretty poor example for them to have used. They
must have been scraping the barrel. He was the least-educated President.
(third grade, I think). As a matter of fact, it is claimed that when
he became president, a woman in his home town said "Andrew JACKSON? Why
if that boy is president than ANYONE can be!"jj@rabbit.UUCP (08/18/83)
I fail to see what an acto of Congress can or can not do to affect the course of things past. The resolution of the 97th Congress can only represent the opinion of the 97th. Congress, and has no bearing (in either direction) on the question of history. It is well knows that acts of Congress often defy reality and common logic, therefore I fail to see even the incentive for arguments involving Congressional acts.
liz@umcp-cs.UUCP (08/19/83)
This reminds me of a conversation I had once with an English teacher who was lamenting the fact that the Bible was rarely read as literature in the schools. Her assertion was that it had influenced our history and culture enough that we ought to be more aware of its contents. Her remarks surprised me because I don't think she believes in the Bible or is particuarly religious. I think she has a point. If it really has influenced us that much (and I think it has), objective Bible reading should be part of a well rounded education. (Please note that I am not advocating teaching religious beliefs in public schools -- I think that is wrong.) -- -Liz Allen, U of Maryland, College Park MD Usenet: ...!seismo!umcp-cs!liz Arpanet: liz.umcp-cs@Udel-Relay
larry@grkermit.UUCP (Larry Kolodney) (08/19/83)
I think it should be year of the pinhead instead.
--
Larry Kolodney (The Devil's Advocate)
{linus decvax}!genrad!grkermit!larry
(ARPA) rms.g.lkk@mit-aika@spanky.UUCP (08/19/83)
The resolution contains some truths, some half truths, and some falsities.
Whereas the Bible, the Word of God, has made a unique contribu-
tion in shaping the United States as a distinctive and blessed
nation and people;
The Bible certainly has had a major impact on the course of history. When
attempting to understand the founding of our nation, you have to remember
that most of the people involved were Christians. Without the Bible our
nation would have been different, but whether it would have been better or
worse is (I suspect) impossible to say.
Whereas deeply held religious convictions
springing from the Holy Scriptures led to the early settlement of
our nation;
Some settlers came for religious reasons; but others had different reasons.
Whereas Biblical teachings inspired concepts of civil
government that are contained in our Declaration of Independence
and the Constitution of the United States;
I doubt it. People invented the concepts, and then (because of the impor-
tance attatched to the Bible) tried to find a Biblical justificaton for
them.
Whereas many of our
great national leaders- among them Presidents Washington, Jack-
son, Lincoln, and Wilson- paid tribute to the surpassing influ-
ence of the Bible in our country's development, as in the words
of President Jackson that the Bible is "the rock on which our
Republic rests";
This doesn't prove anything. It is theoretically possible for a politician
to stretch the truth, or even lie. :-)
Whereas the history of our Nation clearly illus-
trates the value of voluntarily applying the teachings of the
Scriptures in the lives of individuals, families, and societies;
The illustration is not clear to me. I wonder where the Salem witch trials
fit into this view of history.
Whereas this Nation now faces great challenges that will test
this Nation as it has never been tested before;
Good old fashioned retoric. I suppose the Civil War was just a mild chal-
lenge by comparison.
and Whereas that
renewing our knowledge of and faith in God through Holy Scripture
can strengthen us as a nation and a people:
Now this is a flight of fancy. I happen to believe that attempting to un-
derstand reality as it is can strengthen us as a nation even if it leads
to a rejection of the Bible. Admittedly I hold this view largely on faith;
but it is certainly as defensible as the view put forth in the resolution.
The Law speaks for it self.
It doesn't have very much to say.
Kenneth Almquistzierk@fluke.UUCP (Jon Zierk) (08/20/83)
This is just another example of the useful things that our government is doing with the taxpayers money.
dembry@hplabs.UUCP (Paul E. Dembry) (08/20/83)
#R:teltone:-18400:hplabs:15300002:000:141
hplabs!dembry Aug 19 16:03:00 1983
Lead me to the bathroom...I think I feel sick!!
Paul Dembry
{decvax|ucbvax}!hplabs!dembrynotes@ucbcad.UUCP (09/05/83)
#R:teltone:-18400:ucbesvax:7500032:000:277 ucbesvax!turner Aug 20 07:12:00 1983 I read (somewhere) that the first five or so U.S. presidents were avowed atheists. Anyone have a source on this? (It certainly doesn't surprise me: most were camp-followers of the Enlightenment--whatever you may think of that term.) Michael Turner (ucbvax!ucbesvax.turner)
dejongh@osu-dbs.UUCP (09/07/83)
George Washington and John Adams were both firm believers of the Christian faith. Tom Jefferson, on the other hand, made his own religion by taking a copy of the bible and clipping out any references to Jesus Christ. -- Matt
freb@ittvax.UUCP (Karl Freburger) (09/08/83)
Thomas Jefferson did NOT create his own religion by excising all references to Jesus Christ from the bible. He created his own version of the bible by snipping out all references to the supernatural and mysticism (which he found repulsive). See this month's issue of Smithsonian magazine for more details. Karl Freburger decvax!ittvax!freb
swatt@ittvax.UUCP (Alan S. Watt) (09/08/83)
Thomas Jefferson's bible was NOT expurgated of all references to Jesus Christ, but of all references to "supernatural" forces and events (like turning water to wine, walking on water, raising the dead, etc.). Jefferson thought very highly of Jesus' philosophy and preachings (The 'Semon on the Mount' survived completely intact, I think). This month's Smithsonian has an article on it. - Alan S. Watt
wombat@uicsl.UUCP (09/14/83)
#R:teltone:-18400:uicsl:16300014:000:199 uicsl!wombat Sep 13 21:56:00 1983 I heard today about a recent Gallup poll where 54% of the people surveyed believe religion will do more for progress in this country than science will. Wombat pur-ee!uiucdcs!uicsl!wombat
shebs@utah-cs.UUCP (Stanley Shebs) (09/14/83)
If that's true (a majority of Americans preferring religion to science in solving problems) then we're in TROUBLE. Sounds more like the 14th century than the 20th... stan the lep hacker utah-cs!shebs ps Some years ago, there was a Sunday Supplement that showed a picture of a caveman wearing a narrow necktie. The article speculated about the collapse of Western civilization. I was about 11 years old at the time, and the picture made quite an impression on me...