Mike is hardly one to turn his back on those in need — he volunteers his time and money personally.  The self-righteous one is YOU, Reston, and your post says so much about how you see people who give personally than demand such from the State.  Talk about self-righteous.

I agree to a point.  A "religious outlook" implies no coercion, merely a point of view.  When that point of view dictates actions that violate the inalienable rights of others, it is not just an "outlook," it is a form of law, placing priests and clerics above the common people and the common law.  The Islamification of many Western cities is essentially colonization with their own theocracy governing the people — death penalties for violations against 'Islam' are commonplace.  This is not just an outlook, and therefore cannot just be tolerated without direct conflict with the American principles enshrined by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

'Progressive' in the literal sense will indeed be opposed by those attached to the ways of the past.  The word 'progress' has been hijacked by socialists to mean the furtherance of socialist ideals and policies that of course are opposed by those that hold tightly to their rights and property while 'progressives' attempt to lay claim to them as common wealth. 

Just as science is not settled, nor is our understanding of the world; real progress is furthering the principles of liberty and the responsibilities that come with it.  Servitude to the State-Church is traditional and customary — and also the source of revolution, ending the reign of monarchs and dictators, empowering the People to be the noble sovereigns they are.  Now that's progress, and yes, there are "a thousand mediocre minds appointed to guard" their own servitude.  Mediocre minds are easily ruled and drown out truth.  

What, no 'safe spaces' or 'trigger counseling'?

I think you are projecting, David.  Ad hominem arguments only serve to distract from the discovery of truth.  The biggest problem common people have with organized religion is the hypocrisy of preaching 'love your neighbor' while at the same time meting out justice in God's name, ignoring their own mountain of sin.  Forgiveness and Truth-telling are the 2 principle teachings of Jesus — that's 'christian'.  But Christians do not have a monopoly on truth and compassion — precisely why there are believers of other faiths.  The truth is the truth is the truth — it belongs to everyone who tells it, the rest inherit the fruit of lies.  Love belongs to everyone who loves, the rest know it not.  Perhaps paying attention to the teachings of Jesus rather than following the metaphysical claims of ritual and dogma would be better time spent.  God's grace is His to give, the last may be first and the first last.  The ignorance is yours, David.

Rings true for me!  There's what I think I am, but once in the world with other people, expressions of myself arise that I never knew were within me.  All of life is a dialogue — my words and actions precipitate a response.  If I do not pay attention to the response, it is but a one-way road, likely to a lonely end.  Learning from the world's response to my actions builds character — what kind of character is still up to me.

The spirit is as much in need of being 'armed' as an army, only the weapons are the eternal truths that empower the spirit.  Trumpets brought down the walls of Jericho — if one is on the side of right, victory is already yours.  That is the way of the Spirit.

Trump is as close as we have ever gotten to a non-establishment president.  It's not easy for one man against the statist machine of power, the People must also be in accord.  Let's see what Trump does with the Fed. ;-)

Love it!  Purpose fulfills and empowers.

Until the People of the world realize the scam under which they have all been hoodwinked, we will continue to suffer the effects of the system that is designed to milk us all the days of our lives.  Nearly every nation has adopted central banking and interest-bearing debt-based fiat currency, thus not only guaranteeing perpetual debt by all but making it absolutely necessary to keep borrowing more.  Since the money no longer is issued as capital is created, it can only increase with borrowing more at interest.  The bankers take the cream of our labors and property before we see a drop.

So, this entire nonsense about deficits and massive currency expansion is moot, because everyone is in on the racket now, and all that is done today is pass the hot potato. 

Income tax is the way of regulating the people, keeping them just hungry enough to always be in need, despite their labors.  The government can and does create all the money it needs — it's just that the bankers got a monopoly contract on its management, and they charge a percentage (as banks have always done).  The only difference is that the Fed does not have any money, it merely issues currency in exchange for Treasury Notes (T-Bills) from the US government.  The 'money' is created as soon as the Fed receives IOU's from the government.  It works exactly like a credit card with an unlimited credit line — all that has to be done is to make the minimum monthly payment.  BTW there is no way to pay off the balance, so you will be in perpetual debt and forever at their mercy. Talk about a Bad Santa! ... ;-)

I'm with Mike on this one.  The very heart of human civilization is traced to the these strictly human concepts of Spiritual and Civil.  Civil law refers to the statutes of men, while Natural Law refers to the laws of nature.  The Spirit precedes the Civil, and when the civil law is not in accord with natural law, there will be dis-ease and dis-chord.  The less civil laws the better, in fact that is the primary difference between a republican form of government based upon the Common Law and virtually any other type of government which places the State supreme and the People in subservience to its dictates.

The cause of Liberty has always been a spiritual pursuit breaking free from oppressive civil laws.

I understand the sentiment, not sure on its implementation.  To care about the well being and honor of one's friends is integral to friendship, IMO.

America's core is NOT rotten, the USSR's core was, right from the start.  America's core is the Declaration of Independence, and from that root, all the rest has grown.  If we no longer nourish the Tree of Liberty, it will wither.  The core of American independence and Liberty is not rotten.  We simply have to defend it from being chopped down for firewood.  Socialism has a rotten core, it is a tree that bears no fruit — it's very premise is to reap the harvest of others.  

I wonder how MLK would respond to today's 'people of color' (i.e. colored people) demanding segregation from whites in their schools...  This is what it has come to.

Read the article.  It is a review of a study 'The Internal Debts of the United States.'  It doesn't sound like it's written by a communist, quite the opposite.  The issues raised are as clear as day, written in the time FDR was racking up debts to the Moon.  The only way he could do that is with fiat currency and taking gold out of circulation.

Yes, the destiny of the free republics were settled with compulsory education — unfortunately that destiny is now servitude.  Compulsory education was not to help form fresh philosophers and thinkers or independent minds.  It was based on German compulsory education to produce obedient workers.  Only through the compelled content that teaches the young that they are beholden to government authority and require permission to work, required to hand over 1/3 of one's earnings or face imprisonment, and now much more — complete disempowerment of the individual as a sacrifice to a political class.  Most of today's successful entrepreneurs dropped out of schools — schools cannot teach that. ;-) 

Jefferson's original draft of the Declaration of Independence called for the end of slavery.  The Southern States would not sign the declaration with the slavery clause, so it was taken out as the cause was for Independence from the English monarchy and required unanimous consent from the colonies.  Franklin, Adams, and Jefferson all made compelling arguments to keep the clause in, knowing that slavery was inconsistent with the Liberty they sought for all people.  Jefferson's slaves were inherited as property already being used as collateral, he could not buy their freedom.  Had the slavery clause been included, those slaves would have been freed.  So, that's 'wasup with that'!

Socialism began with the communist movement — basically the monopoly of labor to hold commerce at ransom and prevent competition.  Job security at the point of a gun.  Labor unions have a sordid history of racketeering and are organized like mafiosa. It's just another form of theft and intimidation.  Because of labor unions, the fields of medicine and law have been hijacked and now operate with impunity while being treated as 'experts' and 'authorities' as effective monopolies.  As a result, medical and legal costs are enormous.  Natural medicine and the common law have been practically eliminated from schools, and are quite literally 'illegal' to practice.  It's actually the 'institutionalism' of Americans.

Excellent distinction between the American republican form of government with the Constitution being a charter for the government, whereas European (and the new Iraqi) Constitutions are declarations of the State as the supreme power and the people subject to regulation — they have no inalienable rights, you won't find that phrase anywhere else.

The difference between a library and a school, is that in a library I may study what I wish, in a school, I am 'taught' and have no choice in the subject matter.

I don't say 'Happy Holidays,' I say 'Happy Holy Days!' because that is what it means. The 2 weeks surrounding the Winter Solstice have traditionally been 'holy days' for millennia, and a time of celebration for many cultures and religions.

Merry Christmas to you both!

Yes! ;-)

The birth of a free America was borne of the Declaration of Independence.  These first sentences are the basis of all the rest, the truthful foundation of the free nation.  A war was fought against those that claimed Americans as their serfs.  The Americans defeated their oppressors and reclaimed their rights.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 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.— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

— Declaration of Independence

These are America's roots from which the Constitution sprung.  These are the principles upon which the nation is built and the liberty of the People respected and protected.

Historically, the image of the Crown has been placed on coinage — the Queen's image is found in every British commonwealth's currency.  American coins previously had 'Mind Your Business' engraved instead of 'In God We Trust'.  The image of lady liberty replaced the images of the king.  I suppose In God We Trust was added when the images of presidents were put on coins to make the distinction that Americans do not have a ruler other than Nature's God as is asserted in line one of the Declaration of Independence.

There is a need to keep church and state in their separate jurisdictions, BUT the state cannot keep separate the People from the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God, which are the founding principles of American's freedom and security.

I find that most of those that complain about lack of separation between church and state, are in favor of empowering the state as a deity itself, to whom all are beholden.  The state becomes the church and politicians demi-gods to whom we must obey.

You're not wrong! ;-)

Need the context ...