Should the US have a state church?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I did some work with a church planting project a few years ago. Sadly my job prevented me from being more involved.

Did that one involve a gay guy?

It's funny, but there can't be many forms of Christianity as different from BRTD's bandshirted Happy Clappyism than a proper State Protestant Church.

The US affiliate of the Danish state church does a lot more "modern" worship services now even the one my parents go to, and that's the afternoon one while the traditional one is in the morning, so it's obvious which one they go to more often. But since their congregation is still heavily made up of olds, they still tend to act boring, some hand waving from the younger people but I'm sure if people acted like they do at the one I'm going to now the olds would freak out.

Please note I never said I'd join the state church.

Yes. And if you're not Christian, you should DEFINITELY vote yes.

Ah, so you're not a Christian after all.

You fail Logic 101. Let's follow the logic at work here in another scenario:

If you live in the US, you are most likely to be white. If you live in Minnesota, you are even more likely to be white. Keith Ellison is from Minnesota, therefore he must be white.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

And wasn't it some Church of England bishop or something who came up with the term "happy clappy"? I guess that was part of Al's point though.

[Bacon King]

BRTD, lrn2 1st Amendment

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

BRTD, lrn2 1st Amendment

As well intentioned as it is, a wishy-washy politically correct, don't offend anyone state church would do more at staving off a theocracy than it has done.

[patrick1]

BRTD, lrn2 1st Amendment

As well intentioned as it is, a wishy-washy politically correct, don't offend anyone state church would do more at staving off a theocracy than it has done.

Maybe if you are willing to set aside 500 years of separate political and historical development.  Resistance to a state church was a main reason why many people first came to America in the first place.  There was a lot of conflict and bloodshed before the "wishy washy"-ness and much of this between different forms of Protestantism. Just look at the events of the English Civil war. And within Ireland you had millions of Catholics, Methodist, Presbyterians, Quakers etc paying for the upkeep of a Church that they did not support up until 1871!

[Free Palestine]

Religion is for queers.  So no.

[The Mikado]

Yes, state churches are so safe.  Look at the state cult in Japan a mere 70 years ago that taught the people that their ruler was a literal god and that genocide and rape and death in his name were religious mandates.  So, so tolerant. 

[Boris]

Yes, state churches are so safe.  Look at the state cult in Japan a mere 70 years ago that taught the people that their ruler was a literal god and that genocide and rape and death in his name were religious mandates.  So, so tolerant. 

http://kirken.no/english/news.cfm?artid=265872

[greenforest32]

No.

I don't want to live in or financially support a theocracy. Keep your mythological beliefs to yourself please.

[The Mikado]

http://kirken.no/english/news.cfm?artid=265872

That's a very, very one-sided look at things.  All it takes is looking at Christian theocracies like Cromwell's England or Calvin's Geneva to see what state churches can end up like if left to their own devices.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

No.

I don't want to live in or financially support a theocracy. Keep your mythological beliefs to yourself please.

They are sad misguided attempts of trying to mandate a godly society. That's why the American Founders did things the way they did. These beliefs are not mythological. They have been validated in reality. But it's ok to talk and debate your atheism.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

All it takes is looking at Christian theocracies like Cromwell's England

Bad example, given the relative outbreak of religious pluralism at the time

But the general history of the Church of England (and it's relationship to other religious bodies) up until the mid 19th century, is, however, an excellent example. Hey, during the 'Restoration' they even persecuted Quakers.

[Lief 🗽]

Yeah, but have state churches done anything like that since World War II? Not really.

[Kaine for Senate '18]

These beliefs are not mythological. They have been validated in reality.

Except they haven't.  That's kind of the point.

[courts]

These beliefs are not mythological. They have been validated in reality.

Except they haven't.  That's kind of the point.

Don't argue with the muppet, Ben. It's not worth it.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Yeah, but have state churches done anything like that since World War II? Not really.

The point is that if the various State Protestant churches of Northern Europe are basically small-l liberal and (for the most part) both essentially tolerant and more than welcome to social democracy (at least as far as their clergy go) then it is for reasons other than their Established nature.