I do know this. Mr. George did write a well researched, intelligent piece on this subject.

cm

That was a close one. Next we would find people sporting “In God We Trust” license plates.

http://www.scdmvonline.com/VehPlateSpecialty.aspx

It could even be imprinted on coins!

thank goodness for progressive judges and google intellectuals.

I have been saved!

What frosts my well padded behind on that is that these are the same people who cry foul when other parties, groups or even nations use similar tactics. They go on and on about freedom, but I wonder if they really understand what freedom means or the responsibility it demands?

It is sad that people like gb feel the need to leave their home because of the environmental setting placed by the people around him. For that I am truly sorry. That people who supposedly equate themselves with love, compassion, respect and forgiveness displayed anything but dismays me greatly. I have yet to find a “love anyone but” clause in the bible, and yet I am seeing it more and more in our culture.

I hope that you can return one day gb and find that your hometown has grown up and you can see that we recognize the wealth of individuals whether or not their views, faith or political affiliation line up with yours or not.

” You can keep your “I Believe” but you much add a graphic for the top 10/25/50/100 internationally recognized dogmas, such as Judaism, Wicca, Islam, Pagan, Druid, Hindu, Buddhist, etc, etc.”

Now, THAT I would like to see rolling down the higway!

I think it’s worth noting, however, that they only won in relative terms and with a specific segment of the population. From a legal point of view, they completely and totally lost. Nothing is stopping someone who wants to let other people know about their faith from buying a bumper sticker — I’m all for that — but it has been made clear that the state can’t be endorsing such religious views officially.

It’s just another sign that there’s a significant cultural shift happening in this state, and that the old system is rapidly losing power, control and influence. And that hardcore social conservative base they keep catering to is getting smaller and smaller with each election year, and the more they ally themselves with it, the more opportunities there are for other points of view to make it into government.

/end pollyanna rant

Thanks Sylvia — those words resonated with me. While I can’t claim the most extreme form of religious persecution, as a non-Christian, gay man, living with AIDS, I was compelled to leave Spartanburg 14 years ago for Oregon. Quit simply, I feared for my job, my ability to get proper medical care because of my disease (which happened), and at times, even my safety. Like clockwork, several times a week, a vehemently anti-gay letter would be published in the Herald-Journal, feeding the masses, a pious co-worker would tell me how certain people would burn in hell and how when visiting New York he’d like to bash the faggots over the head with a baseball bat, or at times, someone would quit my church, because it was not perceived as “Christian” enough and it could affect their career.

The emotional and spiritual toll of living in Spartanburg if you’re not part of the accepted majority can be overwhelming. It is of little doubt that if I had stayed in SC, I would have died long ago. No, I’m not anti-Christian. As a Unitarian, I often embrace Christian culture, ideas, and even theology. But as someone who has spent many years living and traveling overseas, I’ve too often seen the tyranny of a religious or political majority over the minority. To experience it personally in a hometown where one has grown up (and should feel safe) is particularly bitter, and can destroy one’s soul.

While having an “I believe” license plate with the requisite graphics may be an sincere expression of faith by many Christians, for many others it is clearly an “in your face” assault to gain and retain power and control in the culture and politics of SC. They’re not stupid. They know to insure their continued political control they must rile up their majority, and either drive the minority into submission, or drive them away all together. I think, more than in any other state, in South Carolina, that has become the norm.

The sad thing is will be that the religious right will cry “persecution!” over the current ruling, never knowing what religious persecution is all about.
And … as Christopher said, Bauer and McMaster still won.

I now have the pretty new palmetto tree with the sunrise on my car. I think that when it looked like this whole mess was going to go down on the side against the “I believe ” tags, all of use who currently owned one had them replaced. I am unsure on that, I just know I had to get a new tag.

Now granted I am a Christian, attend church regularly and have a strong set of moral standards. I do not agree with using the pulpit as a political bargaining chip, I find it highly inappropriate, yet both Republicans and Democrats use that. I do not think that, claiming “I stand for Christian values” it has a strong stance, especially considering how those who claim they uphold the church and its standards so strongly are often the ones who end up looking like complete hypocrites with their personal words and actions. St. Francis of Assisi is credited with saying “preach the gospel daily, if necessary use words.” He mentioned nothing about using religion as a means for an end in politics. Maybe that is because he knew that politicians use far too many words, with far too little relevant actions.

One last thing, crying persecution when one doesn’t get their way on a clear legal precedence is plain old childish. They haven’t a clue what real religious persecution is. In fact unless one personally fled a nation in fear of their very lives to live here in the US, one would have a very difficult time understanding religious persecution. Losing a court battle on what is really a minor issue hardly qualifies.