Group wages legal battle to raise Christian flag at Boston City Hall

[Erebus]

Shurtleff said a few people have told him they're worried that if he wins at the Supreme Court, the Satanic flag and others that they find objectionable will be allowed on the city poles.

As other posters have said, if you'd find displaying the symbol of another religion objectionable, its hypocritical to do it with your own symbol.

"I said if you're worried about them flying the Satanic flag, which is not likely, you show up and you pass out your Bible tracts and you pray for them," he said.

More likely than he may think. The Satanic Temple make a point of putting on some form of Satanic display whenever Christians are allowed to do the same. I can definitely see them designing a Satanic flag of their own for just this occasion.

I personally don't mind religious displays but I don't like favouritism. I'd be okay with a Christian flag going up (though I understand why others wouldn't be) so long as they aren't the only group allowed to do it. Either let Satanists, Muslims, atheists and so on put up a flag too if they want or don't allow flags at all.

 

[danieldemol]

They get close..

Flag of the United States Space Force - Wikipedia

View attachment 53701

It looks like a giant computer mouse pointer

 

[Revoltingest]

What is the first flag?

Atheist

 

[Twilight Hue]

If they allow daily rotation of various religious
& philosophical themed flags, it could work.

Maybe a coexist flag representing all would be ideal.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

View attachment 53702

I have no problem with this.

And they already fly those flags on government flagpoles, regardless of how anyone feels about that. Someone should try to put up a straight pride flag.

 

[Revoltingest]

Maybe a coexist flag representing all would be ideal.

That wouldn't satisfy those who want their own flag to fly.

 

[fantome profane]

And they already fly those flags on government flagpoles, regardless of how anyone feels about that. Someone should try to put up a straight pride flag.

What does that look like? Is it just black and white?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

What does that look like? Is it just black and white?

There's different designs:
Heterosexual Flags

 

[fantome profane]

There's different designs:
Heterosexual Flags

‘Twas rhetorical.

 

[HonestJoe]

This is an interesting point. While the government can not endorse a religion, is it constitutional to censor religious viewpoints in a public forum where secular viewpoints are permitted?

I'd say so. Any viewpoint that isn't specifically religious would be secular by definition. The state generally can't (shouldn't!) promote religious viewpoints so by this argument, they wouldn't be able to promote anything.

The state can (and would) say "Citizens should pay taxes" but not "Citizens should pay church tithes". The state can say "Stealing is wrong because it harms other people" but not "Stealing is wrong because the Bible says so".

This situation seem like a minor thing. It wouldn't be the end of the world if the "Christian" flag was flown but then it wouldn't be the end of the world if it wasn't (even if the supporters pay for that ). It does have the feeling of something set up to create a high profile legal case and even if it wasn't from the outset, pushing it all the way to the SCOTUS certainly is.

Should the Supreme Court rule in their favor, or should they uphold the city's decision?

I believe they'd need a very strong reason to overturn the rulings of the two lower courts and I didn't see anything in the article that came close to that so I would expect the Supreme Court to reach the same conclusion.

I'm sure some lawyers will be getting their 30 pieces of silver either way.

 

[Kooky]

I have no issues with the cross or the pentagram, and I enjoy seeing them proudly displayed by others who find meaning in them. I also have no issue with Christianity being the dominant religion in America and being afforded certain privileges that other religions do not have.

Other people have different opinions on that topic, I would presume.

 

[Kooky]

As for which flag I would support to be flown in city hall (or any place of government, really) that's easy:

Or, alternatively, they should all employ this emblem:

 

[Stevicus]

I'd say so. Any viewpoint that isn't specifically religious would be secular by definition. The state generally can't (shouldn't!) promote religious viewpoints so by this argument, they wouldn't be able to promote anything.

The state can (and would) say "Citizens should pay taxes" but not "Citizens should pay church tithes". The state can say "Stealing is wrong because it harms other people" but not "Stealing is wrong because the Bible says so".

The only quibble I would make here is that it's not actually "the state" saying these things. It would be private citizens saying it while they happen to be on state property.

 

[Friend of Mara]

Well... it was primarily Christians who founded this country, so, when it comes to “representation in America”, I would place far more relevance on Christian culture than, say, what passes for “satanic” culture these days.

Truth be told however, I find the inverted pentagram as well as the Christian cross to both be beautiful and powerful symbols representative of certain sides of my own human nature as well as collective human nature.

I see a Christian cross and I think: sacrifice, unconditional love, righteousness, kindness, humility, forgiveness, deliverance, salvation, redemption, etc (archetypal Christ attributes)... as well things equal armed pagan crosses make me think of: The year and it’s annual cycles, the seasons, the elements, a genuine love and respect for earth, life and death, etc. There is a lot of meaning there. I see an inverted pentagram and I think: will to power, freedom, willpower, pursuit of strengths, knowledge and wisdom, passion, the breaking of chains, True Will, etc (archetypal Lucifer attributes).... as well as malevolence, maliciousness, “evil” for the sake of “evil”, deceit, corruption, power at the expense of human suffering, obscenity, sadism, lust and perversion, embracing of taboos, “sin”, etc. (commonly attributed “satanic” characteristics).

This is who I am. This is who we all are. There is no escaping our human nature. We can control it, we can embrace it, we can ignore it or tame it, love it or hate it, but it is there, and it is always going to be there. We often perceive it differently than each other but the range of thoughts, emotions and behaviors that define us as human beings was there thousands of years ago and it will be there thousands of years from now.

I have no issues with the cross or the pentagram, and I enjoy seeing them proudly displayed by others who find meaning in them. I also have no issue with Christianity being the dominant religion in America and being afforded certain privileges that other religions do not have.

Which Christian flag though? The Catholic? The Baptist? The Mormon? Since the majority of our founding fathers were Diests should we make a Diest flag? What about the Jews Quakers and tribal religions of the slaves brought over here?

Its not just a blanket "christian culture" even at the very beginning of our founding as a nation. And since our government was founding specifically on separation of church and state it would seem that the best way to honor American values would be to forbade any religious flags.

 

[Aštra’el]

Which Christian flag though? The Catholic? The Baptist? The Mormon? Since the majority of our founding fathers were Diests should we make a Diest flag? What about the Jews Quakers and tribal religions of the slaves brought over here?

Its not just a blanket "christian culture" even at the very beginning of our founding as a nation.

And since our government was founding specifically on separation of church and state it would seem that the best way to honor American values would be to forbade any religious flags.

I don’t think I’ve ever even seen “Christian flags” around here, which I why I specifically mentioned symbols that tend to represent entire religions (the cross is significant to most if not every Christian sect, the inverted pentagram is significant to most Satanic sects as well). There are plenty of crosses here and not just at churches.

Despite not being a Christian myself, I do have a biased inclination to side with Christian culture (and by that, yes, I mean Christians collectively, their lore and holy books and rituals and ways of life, whether they are Baptist/ Catholic/ Methodist/ whatever, with maybe some exceptions) because this country wouldn’t even be here if it were not for Christianity. Also, and perhaps more importantly, because their God the Father is my Supreme God, and I’ve known countless amazing and inspiring Christians in my life who throughout my life set a excellent examples as human beings.

And despite all this, I can also take comfort in the fact that the Constitution explicitly forbids certain things that deep inside I might like to see happen to this country. It’s probably for the best. If these certain things could happen for me than they would be happening for those I oppose as well. So I am glad for it. Besides, I have more than enough rights already. As does everyone here. Too many, probably. I try to be grateful for what rights Americans do have, rights that many others around the world do not and will not ever experience.

 

[ecco]

 

[Stevicus]

U.S. Supreme Court to hear Boston Christian flag dispute (msn.com)

 

[ecco]

U.S. Supreme Court to hear Boston Christian flag dispute (msn.com)

Next year.

 

[Sand Dancer]

Well... it was primarily Christians who founded this country, so, when it comes to “representation in America”, I would place far more relevance on Christian culture than, say, what passes for “satanic” culture these days.

Truth be told however, I find the inverted pentagram as well as the Christian cross to both be beautiful and powerful symbols representative of certain sides of my own human nature as well as collective human nature.

I see a Christian cross and I think: sacrifice, unconditional love, righteousness, kindness, humility, forgiveness, deliverance, salvation, redemption, etc (archetypal Christ attributes)... as well things equal armed pagan crosses make me think of: The year and it’s annual cycles, the seasons, the elements, a genuine love and respect for earth, life and death, etc. There is a lot of meaning there. I see an inverted pentagram and I think: will to power, freedom, willpower, pursuit of strengths, knowledge and wisdom, passion, the breaking of chains, True Will, etc (archetypal Lucifer attributes).... as well as malevolence, maliciousness, “evil” for the sake of “evil”, deceit, corruption, power at the expense of human suffering, obscenity, sadism, lust and perversion, embracing of taboos, “sin”, etc. (commonly attributed “satanic” characteristics).

This is who I am. This is who we all are. There is no escaping our human nature. We can control it, we can embrace it, we can ignore it or tame it, love it or hate it, but it is there, and it is always going to be there. We often perceive it differently than each other but the range of thoughts, emotions and behaviors that define us as human beings was there thousands of years ago and it will be there thousands of years from now.

I have no issues with the cross or the pentagram, and I enjoy seeing them proudly displayed by others who find meaning in them. I also have no issue with Christianity being the dominant religion in America and being afforded certain privileges that other religions do not have.

The founding fathers were Deists and Freemasons mostly.

 

[Friend of Mara]

I don’t think I’ve ever even seen “Christian flags” around here, which I why I specifically mentioned symbols that tend to represent entire religions (the cross is significant to most if not every Christian sect, the inverted pentagram is significant to most Satanic sects as well). There are plenty of crosses here and not just at churches.

Despite not being a Christian myself, I do have a biased inclination to side with Christian culture (and by that, yes, I mean Christians collectively, their lore and holy books and rituals and ways of life, whether they are Baptist/ Catholic/ Methodist/ whatever, with maybe some exceptions) because this country wouldn’t even be here if it were not for Christianity. Also, and perhaps more importantly, because their God the Father is my Supreme God, and I’ve known countless amazing and inspiring Christians in my life who throughout my life set a excellent examples as human beings.

Religion very often is not a good indicator of the character of a person. With exceptions of course.

Besides, I have more than enough rights already. As does everyone here. Too many, probably. I try to be grateful for what rights Americans do have, rights that many others around the world do not and will not ever experience.

Can you explain this part more? Though I would disagree for "gratefulness" of rights. A right is different than a privilege