The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #62451   Message #1010475
Posted By: artbrooks
29-Aug-03 - 07:06 PM
Thread Name: BS: 'Christian' Loonies Lose It in Montgomery
Subject: RE: BS: 'Christian' Loonies Lose It in Montgomery
It should be noted that the Southern Baptists (and I am not one) is a religious body with a specific belief structure. I have no idea if Justice Moore is, or claims to be, a Southern Baptist. There are a lot of very conservative, or fundamentalist (if you prefer) Christian sects in the deep South. This is the official policy statement of the denomination on the issue of separation of church and state:
We stand for a free church in a free state. Neither one should control the affairs of the other. We support the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, with its "establishment" and "free exercise" clauses.

We do, of course, acknowledge the legitimate interplay of these two spheres. For example, it is appropriate for the state to enact and enforce fire codes for the church nurseries. It is also appropriate for ministers to offer prayer at civic functions. Neither the Constitution nor Baptist tradition would build a wall of separation against such practices as these.
Their website is here.

There are nut cases to be found in any organized religion, including atheism, but it is often useful to find out what the actual position of the body is before beginning to throw stones.