So often I find people of faith who do not follow their religions teachings, or understand them. More so when I look at things like the poorly named "Religious Freedom Restoration Act".
This is the way I understand it. When you open a business, you serve not only yourself by making a living, you also serve the community and its people's government. What government could stay in existence, and serve all the people without collecting taxes from business? What business could endure without the protection of government? What civilization could endure without the service of business and government? I maintain that business and government are secular pursuits.
Have Christians forgotten what their own master taught them?
Matthew 22: King James Version
20 And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?
21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
22 When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left him, and went their way.
...and to what end would the denial of service to any person? Denial of service in an effort to preserve one's own religion is a fruitless endeavor. It does not serve that end, because a person is going to believe what they want, no matter the setting. Instead the denial of service is a veiled attempt to change how other people live their lives, and to bring them in line with some dogma. Again I ask, have Christians forgotten what their own master taught them?
Matthew 7 King James Version
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Matthew 25 King James Version
35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
I do not believe Jesus was any God or Son of God. I do believe that he was doing what he truly believed to be the right thing to do for his times, and selflessly, and without prejudiced! So why does this Atheist have more regard for the teachings of love that Jesus delivered than these so-called Christians? I think that in some ways people like me, who don't believe in the divinity of Christ, or the existence of gods have a better understanding of morals and virtue than some who call themselves devout.
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