Louisiana becomes first state to require that Ten Commandments be displayed in public classrooms

[Subduction Zone]

Ok… you just ignored evidence. How can I argue if ones ignores what is in front of their eyes?

What is your supposed evidence? You seem to be lost at times when it comes to terminology.
A definition might help:

"Definitions of secular

1. noun
   someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person
   synonyms:layman, layperson
   see more
2. adjective
   characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world"

As you see, my example of going to the grocery store is an excellent example of a secular activity. It is fundamentalist Christians that are trying to redefine the term to make it synonymous to "atheism". Yes, by definition everything that an atheist does will be secular, but in reality you are mostly secular yourself. The first treaty that we signed after the Constitution was formed effectively declares that the US is a secular nation:

Article 11 of the treaty stated: “As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion, as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religious or tranquility of Musselmen, and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”

And treaties are above any law in the US. They are only outranked by the Constitution, but I have never seen the Constitution used to void a treaty.

 

[Kathryn]

The popularity of slavery isn't the
best argument to exculpate the
Bible's acceptance of it.

The New Testament doesn't condone or deny slavery's existence. I am just calling it as I see it. I'm not trying to win some crazy argument.

 

[fantome profane]

News flash, slavery was considered to be OK by many groups of people for many years, and still is by some groups.

If I may be so bold as to quote myself.

Yes, there has always been evil in the world and always will be. But the greatest act of evil is not to call out evil when you see it.

And if I may be even bolder as to quote you.

So lets call it all out. All of it, every bit of it.

 

[Revoltingest]

The bible doesn't condone or deny slavery's existence.

Exactly!
It condemns many things, but slavery isn't one of them.

I am just calling it as I see it.

As am I.

 

[Kenny]

MS and LA are on top with AL on the list too. Many of the deep south states are there. Whatever will improve things is what we should do. I am looking at per capita.

My point is that there are middle states, northeast states and western states - what is the correlation? The 10 Commandments? I don’t think so.

 

[Kathryn]

My point is that there are middle states, northeast states and western states - what is the correlation? The 10 Commandments? I don’t think so.

There are southeastern states, northeastern states, southwestern states, western states and midwest states from where I stand.

Oh, and I guess northwestern. The US is huge.

 

[Kathryn]

Exactly!
It condemns many things, but slavery isn't one of them.

As am I.

The New Testament does not condone slavery at all.

 

[Subduction Zone]

As a former Texan, I always hated when people didn't take the per capita issue into consideration.

I remember one time someone was saying something like "Texas leads the nation in drunk driving deaths!" or something similar. PER CAPITA, Texas was right in the middle of the states.

When it comes to poverty Texas is not in the top ten. It is 14th. so it could be better. But you have moved up in that sense . Ohio is 18th which is close to the middle. It is definitely in the middle third.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I don't read it, so I don't know the details.
However, another poster pointed out that the
Old Testament contained both acceptance of
slavery and the 10 Commandments.
It's analogous to quoting passages from Mein
Kampf, & belief that this context is irrelevant.

Then I fully retract my statement with my sincere apology. I missed the part of the law that mandates displaying the acceptance of slavery along with the 10 Commandments.

 

[fantome profane]

The New Testament does not condone slavery at all.

Very selective comment.

 

[Kenny]

The New Testament does not condone slavery at all.

He actually came to set the captives free!

 

[Kathryn]

When it comes to poverty Texas is not in the top ten. It is 14th. so it could be better. But you have moved up in that sense . Ohio is 18th which is close to the middle. It is definitely in the middle third.

Yay! I am not a Texan by the way. Just to make that clear. I mean, I used to be but no longer. I did live there thirty years, and I still think the food there is fabulous but I don't know enough yet about Ohio food. So far so good but I definitely can't find a good Mexican food place.

 

[Kathryn]

Very selective comment.

I don't believe it is.

 

[Subduction Zone]

And apparently He did. News flash, slavery was considered to be OK by many groups of people for many years, and still is by some groups. Not just Southern USAers. The New Testament doesn't state anything positive or negative about slavery from what I can recall.

And this is a huge problem for biblical literalists. According to the Bible God weighed his thumb very heavily on the scales when it came to warfare in the OT. If Israel was righteous they won, if they did things wrong they lost. So God could have easily have banned slavery and put his thumb on the good side of the scale whenever an obedient Israel entered into a war and kept that law.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Yay! I am not a Texan by the way. Just to make that clear. I mean, I used to be but no longer. I did live there thirty years, and I still think the food there is fabulous but I don't know enough yet about Ohio food. So far so good but I definitely can't find a good Mexican food place.

I would like to try some real Tex-Mex some day. But I do not know if I could stand the Texas summers. If I had to move and it came down to a choice between Texas and Minnesota for me I would choose Minnesota. Though I am not fond of the unofficial state bird.

 

[Subduction Zone]

The New Testament does not condone slavery at all.

It does tell slaves to obey their masters. That is definitely not condemning it. I would put that on the "condoning" side.

 

[Argentbear]

Not at all. It was a rhetorical question intended to underscore the how asinine your comparison was.

sure sounds like outrage.

 

[Revoltingest]

The New Testament does not condone slavery at all.

Of course.
But condemnation of it?

 

[Argentbear]

The bible doesn't endorse slavery, it simply states that it's a way of life for some people. Which it was for thousands of years, and still is in some places.

it explicitly allows participation in the slave trade, where Israelites were allowed to buy human beings as property that could be inherited and forced to breed and keep offspring of slaves as slaves them selves

 

[Kathryn]

It does tell slaves to obey their masters. That is definitely not condemning it. I would put that on the "condoning" side.

Well, you would but I wouldn't.