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anhinga_anhingaNewtonmas is a secular holiday celebrated on December 25 in honor of Sir Isaac Newton's birthday. It is celebrated with an apple tree.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton
http://web.hao.ucar.edu/public/education/sp/images/newton.gif
Speaking of the relationship between society and religion, has anyone tried to get an official recognition of atheism as a religion (especially in America)?
The official recognition of a religion in America is a fairly non-trivial issue. For example, one can often refuse to do something (e.g. a mandatory vaccination required by an educational institution) based on his sincere religious convictions, but the catch often is that one has to be a member of a "recognized" religion, and cannot, for example, claim that he or she merely follows the commandments of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
So I wonder how to get a religion officially recognized?
A positive side of the official recognition of atheism as a religion would be a more fair treatment. The rights of atheists to exercise their religion would be better protected under the First Amendment, and at the same time the government would not be able to promote atheistic religion due to the Establishment clause of the First Amendment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton
http://web.hao.ucar.edu/public/education/sp/images/newton.gif
Speaking of the relationship between society and religion, has anyone tried to get an official recognition of atheism as a religion (especially in America)?
The official recognition of a religion in America is a fairly non-trivial issue. For example, one can often refuse to do something (e.g. a mandatory vaccination required by an educational institution) based on his sincere religious convictions, but the catch often is that one has to be a member of a "recognized" religion, and cannot, for example, claim that he or she merely follows the commandments of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
So I wonder how to get a religion officially recognized?
A positive side of the official recognition of atheism as a religion would be a more fair treatment. The rights of atheists to exercise their religion would be better protected under the First Amendment, and at the same time the government would not be able to promote atheistic religion due to the Establishment clause of the First Amendment.
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no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 09:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 09:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 09:49 am (UTC)но, с другой стороны, придется следить, чтобы преподавание эволюции в школе не превращалось бы в пропаганду атеизма...
no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 04:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 05:06 pm (UTC)Я тоже.
> Я вообще не понимаю, каким образом [...] разрешение (не) делать то, что обязательно для остальных, согласуется с First Amendment
"Congress shall make no law [...] prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
Что влечет за собой применение стандарта strict scrutiny по отношению к действиям правительства в таком контексте...
no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 06:20 pm (UTC)Интересно, где больше правды: в библии или в легенде о яблоке?
no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 06:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 06:42 pm (UTC)Правда, есть сведения, что на самом деле это был инжир. - вот-вот :-))
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 03:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 06:32 pm (UTC)BTW, at first I read your Newtonmas as Newton, Mass., and was wondering. But not for long.
no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 07:01 pm (UTC)Secular humanism has appeal to atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, empiricists, objectivists, rationalists, skeptics and materialists, as well as to some Buddhists and Confucians
For an exclusively atheistic holiday one should certainly look elsewhere...
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 03:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 04:14 am (UTC)They all were very left-wing, were not they?
On the other hand, is not Paul Wolfowitz a secular humanist?
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 05:55 am (UTC)I do not know if Wolfowitz is a secular humanist, but I know that neocons are former lefties. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 06:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-28 01:39 am (UTC)