Religious Liberty! "Every man should have liberty to worship God according to the light of his own conscience." Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, 1636, banished from the...

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

"Every man should have liberty to worship God according to the light of his own conscience."
Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, 1636, banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his advocacy of religious freedom and separation of church and state.

His little state became the asylum of the oppressed, and it increased and prospered until its foundation principles --
civil and religious liberty -- became the cornerstone of the American Republic.

In that grand old document which our forefathers set forth as their bill of rights -- the Declaration of Independence --
they declared: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

And the Constitution guarantees, in most explicit terms, the inviolability of conscience:
"No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States"
Article IV, Clause 3.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
1st amendment

The framers of the Constitution recognized the eternal principle that man's relation with his God is above human legislation, and his rights of conscience inalienable. Reasoning was not necessary to establish this truth, we are conscious of it in our own bosoms. It is this consciousness which, in defiance of human laws, has attained so many martyrs in tortures and flames. They felt that their duty to God was superior to human enactments, and that man could exercise no authority over their consciences. It is an inborn principle which nothing can eradicate"
Congressional documents (U.S.A.), Serial # 200, document # 271.

Remarks by President Trump at the United Nations Event on Religious Freedom,
September 23, 2019, New York, NY.

"Today it is an honor to be the first President of the United States to host a meeting at the United Nations on religious freedom. And an honor it is. It's long overdue. And, I was shocked when I was given that statistic that I would be first. That's very sad, in many ways.

"It is great to be with you. . . . . .

"The United States is founded on the principle that our rights do not come from government; they come from God.
This immortal truth is proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in the First Amendment to our Constitution's Bill of Rights. Our Founders understood that no right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous, and virtuous society than the right to follow one's religious convictions.

Regrettably, the religious freedom enjoyed by American citizens is rare in the world. Approximately 80 percent of the world's population live in countries where religious liberty is threatened, restricted, or even banned. . . . .

As we speak, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Yazidis, and many other people of faith are being jailed, sanctioned, tortured, and murdered, often at the hands of their own government, simply for expressing their deeply held beliefs . . . . .

Today, with one clear voice, the United States calls upon the nations of the world to end religious persecution."

References:
The Great Controversy ended, E.G. White.
US founding documents,
United States Embassy archives,
History of the Puritans, D. Neal, Vol. 1
The Pilgrim Fathers, J. Brown.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

Blade_Runner wrote:

b i "Every man should have liberty to worsh... (show quote)

Are you an Adventist ? I like Adventists .

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Coos Bay Tom wrote:

Are you and Adventist ? I like Adventists .

No, I'm a Christian, a follower of Jesus.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

Blade_Runner wrote:

No, I'm a Christian, a follower of Jesus.

so are Adventists . I am a babtized Catholic a follower of Jesus .

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Coos Bay Tom wrote:

so are Adventists . I am a babtized Catholic a follower of Jesus .

I am not a member of any Christian church.
Far too many of them are headed for apostasy, if not already there.

RascalRiley Loc: Somewhere south of Detroit

Coos Bay Tom wrote:

Are you an Adventist ? I like Adventists .

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Coos Bay Tom wrote:

so are Adventists . I am a babtized Catholic a follower of Jesus .

One more thing, Tom, paganism is spreading through the world, and along with it comes apostasy.
It even nailed the Pope. What sort of blasphemy has come from him?

Why don't you read The Return of the Gods by Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn?

Read it with an open mind, Tom, get a feel for a stunning perspective on the pagan invasion.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

Blade_Runner wrote:

I am not a member of any Christian church.
Far too many of them are headed for apostasy, if not already there.

I agree

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

Blade_Runner wrote:

One more thing, Tom, paganism is spreading through the world, and along with it comes apostasy.
It even nailed the Pope. What sort of blasphemy has come from him?

Why don't you read The Return of the Gods by Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn?

Read it with an open mind, Tom, get a feel for a stunning perspective on the pagan invasion.

I'll consider it . I started life in Morman polygamy so I believe I have come a long way .

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Coos Bay Tom wrote:

I'll consider it . I started life in Morman polygamy so I believe I have come a long way .

Wow, Tom, yes, you have come a long way. Good on you.

I live among Mormons and have read books on Mormon fundamentalism,
some written by former members of their polygamist communities and compounds.

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer;

Escape: A Memoir by Carolyn Jessop who escaped the horrors of the fundamentalist Mormon community of Hillsdale and Colorado City, what she called "the American Taliban".
Escape exposes a world tantamount to a prison camp, created by religious fanatics who, in the name of God, deprive the followers the right to make choices, brainwash children in church-run schools, and force women to be totally subservient to men. Against this background, Carolyn’s flight takes on an extraordinary, inspiring power.

Prophet's Prey: My Seven-Year Investigation into Warren Jeffs and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints
From the private investigator who cracked open the case that led to the conviction of Warren Jeffs, the maniacal prophet of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), comes the page-turning, horrifying story of how a rogue sect used sex, money, and power disguised under a façade of religion to further criminal activities and a madman's vision.

In Prophet's Prey, Brower implicates Jeffs in his own words, bringing to light the contents of Jeffs's personal priesthood journal, discovered in a hidden underground vault, and revealing to readers the shocking inside world of FLDS members whose trust he earned and who showed him the staggering truth of their lives.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

Blade_Runner wrote:

Wow, Tom, yes, you have come a long way. Good on y... (show quote)

I have read Under the Banner of Heaven . The group I was involved with was the Apostolic United Bretheran or AUB, They formed the same time as the FLDS . Their prophet was Rulan Allred who I met . I knew Alma Dayer Lebaron and his brother Ervil. I was subjected to the child psycology methods of Joe Thompson and his nephew Lynn Thompson. I knew Owen Allred and Lemoine Jenson and the Jessup brothers . This began around 1957 and ended around 1963 when I went to the police . I was beaten poisoned with mercury -excommunicated and told I was going to hell. Thank God for hell . I know I won't go there I escaped from there .

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Coos Bay Tom wrote:

I have read Under the Banner of Heaven . The group... (show quote)

God bless you, Tom.

This one is chilling: Lost Boy: The True Story of One Man's Exile from a Polygamist Cult and His Brave Journey to Reclaim His Life by Brent Jeffs, nephew of Warren Jeffs of whom I'm sure you know.

Coos Bay Tom Loc: coos bay oregon

Blade_Runner wrote:

God bless you, Tom.

This one is chilling: Lost Boy: The True Story of One Man's Exile from a Polygamist Cult and His Brave Journey to Reclaim His Life by Brent Jeffs, nephew of Warren Jeffs of whom I'm sure you know.

I did not know any of the FLDs people but I became aquainted with Flora Jessup and Linda Walker . I had several phone conversations with Flora Jessup and Linda Walker spent 2 days interviewing me personally . Thes women helped bring down Warren Jeffs . I learned alot from them and about the lost boys . I can only tell you the perpetrators in polygamy are capable of anything --anything .

keepuphope Loc: Idaho

Blade_Runner wrote:

I am not a member of any Christian church.
Far too many of them are headed for apostasy, if not already there.

That's literally true,they are bending to society instead of holding firm to God's decrees no matter how unpopular they are in this day and age.

LostAggie66 Loc: Corpus Christi, TX (Shire of Seawinds)

Coos Bay Tom wrote:

I have read Under the Banner of Heaven . The group... (show quote)

Wow Tom glad you got out..I have also read Under the Banner of Heaven and it was very intense and disturbing.