Board index ‹ Government and Politics

[Yogurt]

The first amendment and the first commandment, they contradict

How does that work?

[jimwalton]

They don't contradict. The First Amendment says that the government has no business interfering with your practice of religion. The first commandment says that followers of Yahweh should follow Him only. Those aren't a contradiction.

[Yogurt]

That you should follow Jesus ONLY. How does that spell FREEDOM OF RELIGION?

[jimwalton]

The first amendment is about the U.S. government. The first right in the Bill of rights is that the GOVERNMENT has no business telling you whom to worship or what religion to practice. The Bible tells us to worship God only. Any American has the right to choose which God to worship, if any, and which religion to practice, if any. That's freedom of religion. But if someone CHOOSES to worship Yahweh (freedom of religion), then the Bible says they should worship Yahweh only (something they choose freely to do).

[Savior]

The thing is America is a Christian Nation, which means their values and their morals are based on biblical text—the same way the Israelites values and morals were based on scripture. Scripture tells you to have no other gods, scripture tells you you cannot murder, scripture tells you do not steal so on and so forth. Just as the Israelites would not allow any of these things under their dominion and Rule it should be the same for a Christian nation. The fact that they do allow it goes against the Commandment from the person that they say they follow which is...

Matthew 5:19 "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

[The Lowest]

The first amendment means no one can be punished for their choice of religion.

And the first commandment say no one can practice any other religious besides Christianity.

Will everyone have religious freedom in heaven? Will there be muslims and satanists in heaven like they are in america.

[jimwalton]

> The first amendment means no one can be punished for their choice of religion.

Correct. No power over the freedom of religion or the practice of religion is delegated to the United States government by the Constitution. The practice of religion is independent of the powers of the federal government. According to Thomas Jefferson, the government has no power to limit, restrict, regulate, or interfere with public religious practices.

> And the first commandment say no one can practice any other religious besides Christianity.

Incorrect. The first commandment says that no follower of Yahweh can practice any other religion.

If a person under the U.S. Constitution freely chooses to be a Christian, the Bible then tells that Christian that the Christian God is the only God they can worship. There is no contradiction.

> Will everyone have religious freedom in heaven?

According to the Bible, yes. But also according to the Bible, Christians will be the only people in Heaven, and Christianity will be the only religion practiced there.

> Will there be muslims and satanists in heaven like they are in america.

No. According to the Bible, the only way to go to Heaven is to come to Jesus and follow Jesus. That excludes both Muslims and satanists.

[The Lowest]

Actually, in the proper context, the first commandment is only addressing the jews. They can not worship any other god. Moses was not a christian. And if he had heard the stories about angels visiting virgin children and babies in managers being sacrificed to god hed probably recognize a theme or two.

[jimwalton]

> Actually, in the proper context, the first commandment is only addressing the jews

Technically, this is correct, but it's also true that Christians subscribe 100% to this teaching as well. Your statement endorses the point I'm making, that the first commandment is no contradiction to the freedom of religion clause in the Bill of Rights.