Party Platform Development Thread: Church&State

[POA]

I'm initiating this in order to discuss the party platform regarding church/state matters. My personal statement would read something along these lines:

"We acknowledge and respect that for many Americans, religion is a source of their deepest-held values. At the same time, we also feel that to use the power of the government to violate people's individual choices regarding religious matters or to elevate one position or denomination is to cheapen both religion and government, and so we are firm supporters of separation of church and state, both in our actions and our policies."

Specific policy positions:

1) Defund the Office of Faith-Based Programs. This, like no child left recruited, is just disgusting.

2) Be willing to remove the tax exemption from those churches that egregiously straddle the line between church and state. This is part of the reason why Domination Christians have such an advantage-they use their churches to distribute voter guides, et cetera, but they get away with calling their actions religious instead of political.

3) This issue might be solved one way or another by the time it becomes relevant to our party, but don't support 'under god' in the pledge. It wasn't even in the original.

[Ropegun]

I agree. Religion and politics should be kept separate.

I think groups who use religion as a political tool should be taxed.

For instance, say TBN goes on and on supporting political candidates, then they should be taxed as any other business should. If they give campaign donations, they should be taxed. If religious broadcasters can live like pigs and drive in Benz's and have 4000 wigs, they should be subject to the same rules as everyone else. Hiding behind 501c3s is b.s.

Sorry, thats a personal agenda.

But seriously, if they cross the line and act like PACs and whatnot, they should be stripped of that tax shelter.

Using ones own religious preference to shut out others is wrong.


My .02