This is why Westboro Baptist Church is a joke

[kandrathe]

Sometimes yes, you do have go on faith, work from something that seems right but really hasn't been able to really be tested because there isn't a way to test it yet and there may never be. You can even question it. But again you can still learn and discover and progress so you do. You don't always want to reinvent the wheel, but you also don't want to feel that the wheel is the only way to get around. That's the whole point.

I don't disagree with this. You do see the inconstancy in that on the one hand we must not talk about the "God" theory, but any other empty unproven/unprovable theory is acceptable.

Circling back around to the Constitution, the imposition of the Establishment clause was to prevent the government (as it had in Europe) from colluding with religions (or atheists), or to enforce a particular religion on the people (or expunge religion). The Free exercise clause was included to allow people to express their faiths (or absence of it), so long as it doesn't interfere with the natural law rights of others.

With marriage, we've failed, as this obviously religious idea has permeated our legal framework. In the vocations of science, those people who have a religious faith are often ostracized, persecuted, and drummed out of their fields. But, as Treesh pointed out, this happens to Atheists, in the general public where religious people discriminate against the minority. I feel that both are wrong.

In the realm of educating children, an unintended consequence of making education equally available for all was that we've constrained it by the rules of the state. As presented by the Atheistic position, the state cannot teach the traditional religious foundations of knowledge, morality, philosophy, ethics, or even acknowledge the spirituality of the bulk of humanity. In the guise of not advocating "a state religion", the state has separated our citizens from the roots of their moral foundations. Then, consider how vehemently people are opposed to enabling private non-profit education to have an equal financial footing with public education (such as voucher programs).

My kids are with teachers from 8:30am to 3:30pm, 5 days a week (after school care from 3:30pm to 6pm), and with their parents from 7am-8:30am, 6pm to 9pm, and weekends. So weekly; with the school -- for about 35 hours, with parents about 46 hours, and with after school caregivers for about 12.5). As a parent, what I want is for the people caring for my children to not undermine what I've done to prepare my children for their adult lives, which focuses on acquiring knowledge, and developing social skills but also includes a solidly grounded foundation for morality, justice, and citizenship.

Columbine is an example of every (responsible) parents nightmare; How do you do everything in your power to ensure that your child doesn't grow up to become a monster? For me, Nietzsche is not on the list (at least not until high school), but when my kid comes home from school with questions, I am prepared.