Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, in his first remarks after being elected Wednesday afternoon, told Members of Congress that “Scripture” and “the Bible” are clear that they have been “ordained” by God.

    • RGB3x3@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      22
      ·
      1 year ago

      It actually explicitly doesn’t say you can’t relate churches.

      “Shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

      If we’re going strictly by what the words say, as long as the people are still legally allowed and freely allowed to practice their religion, Congress technically has the right to regulate religious institutions to their hearts content.

      It’s not like it says “shall make no law regulating an institution of religion.”

      • GraniteM@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        1 year ago

        The Vermont Constitution has a much more explicit freedom from religion:

        Article 3. [Freedom in religion; right and duty of religious worship]

        That all persons have a natural and unalienable right, to worship Almighty God, according to the dictates of their own consciences and understandings, as in their opinion shall be regulated by the word of God; and that no person ought to, or of right can be compelled to attend any religious worship, or erect or support any place of worship, or maintain any minister, contrary to the dictates of conscience, nor can any person be justly deprived or abridged of any civil right as a citizen, on account of religious sentiments, or peculia[r] mode of religious worship; and that no authority can, or ought to be vested in, or assumed by, any power whatever, that shall in any case interfere with, or in any manner control the rights of conscience, in the free exercise of religious worship. Nevertheless, every sect or denomination of christians ought to observe the sabbath or Lord’s day, and keep up some sort of religious worship, which to them shall seem most agreeable to the revealed will of God.

        • CashewNut 🏴󠁢󠁥󠁧󠁿@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          1 year ago

          Everytime I hear of Vermont it feels like the only sane, progressive state in the US. It almost feels like a seperate country compared to everywhere else.

          What’s the opinion of it in the US?

            • Doubletwist@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              4
              ·
              1 year ago

              A few more brown folks here and there wouldn’t hurt.

              Be the change you want to see in the world.

              We’re the thinking of Vermont as a possible destination once my wife is eligible for her full retirement pension, and we can get out of this christo-conservative, handmaid’s-tale-wannabe, craphole of a state (Texas).

              We’re not ‘brown’ but it would still be nice if Vermont had some more diversity by the time we get there.

    • MNByChoice@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      A bunch of states don’t tax church property and both states and feds don’t tax earnings for this reason.

    • cannache@slrpnk.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Who watches the nightwatchers? Who or what systems could regulate the government? Ask yourself

        • cannache@slrpnk.net
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Can the argument not go both ways? I’m not saying I would trust the church to watch over the government or vice versa I’m simply making an observation that tyrannical government overreach etc is plausible and a potential cause for concern for any person that places a degree of their trust in the systems or bodies around them