Re: Religious City Names A Violation of Law?
PseudoCyAntz
24b19d...@k30g2000hse.googlegroups.com:
> Are major city names of specific religious faiths a violation of law?
>
> "If the government is not permitted to say or do anything that is
> religious, why do we have city names that are named after specific
> religious figures? These, it would seem, are the highest level of
> endorsement and are tied to specific figures of specific faiths. San
> Francisco, Santa Anna, San Diego, Bethlehem, and other cities share
> this problem. And, the state of Pennsylvania is named after one
> specific Quaker." - A debate argument given in my free book, The
> Christian Superhero Training Guide.
>
> Well?
>
> Kenneth Clifton
> --
> 2008jesus.com
The United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
recently published a decision tangentially related.
They decided that the 3-cross emblem
used by the city of Los Cruces, NM,
did not violate the 1st Amendment's establishment clause.
Paul F. Weinbaum; Martin J. Boyd
v
The City Of Las Cruces, New Mexico
No. 06-2355
<http://www.ca10.uscourts.gov/opinions/06/06-2355.pdf>
I do not think that many evangelicals
will be dancing in the street over this decision though.
The 3-cross image evokes a strong sense
of pagan sun worship
and/or
Papist influences from south of the border, down Mexico way.
Douglas Berry
news:bf96de4d-8e73-4f12-b310-
24b19d...@k30g2000hse.googlegroups.com:
>
> Are major city names of specific religious faiths a violation of law?
>
> "If the government is not permitted to say or do anything that is
> religious, why do we have city names that are named after specific
> religious figures? These, it would seem, are the highest level of
> endorsement and are tied to specific figures of specific faiths. San
> Francisco, Santa Anna, San Diego, Bethlehem, and other cities share
> this problem. And, the state of Pennsylvania is named after one
> specific Quaker." - A debate argument given in my free book, The
> Christian Superhero Training Guide.
Nope. The names tend to be more of historical interest than indicating
religious affiliation. In the case of the Californian cities on your
list, the majority of them are named for the missions established by
Fr. Junipero Serra decades before California became part of the U.S.
You forgot Los Angeles, or more accurately, El Pueblo de Nuestra
Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de la Porciúncula (The Village of Our
Lady, the Queen of the Angels of Porziuncola), in your list.
San Francisco's full name is "Mission de la San Francisco de Assisi y
Pueblo de Yerba Buena."
Oh, William Penn was more than just a Quaker. He founded the Province
of Pennsylvania, was an advocate of colonial union, inspired the U.S,
Constitution through his writings, and predicted the European Union.
--
Douglas Berry Do the OBVIOUS thing to send e-mail
Atheist #2147, Atheist Vet #5
Jason Gastrich is praying for me on 8 January 2011
"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the
source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a
stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as
good as dead: his eyes are closed." - Albert Einstein
Mike Painter
<snip>
> Oh, William Penn was more than just a Quaker. He founded the Province
> of Pennsylvania, was an advocate of colonial union, inspired the U.S,
> Constitution through his writings, and predicted the European Union.
True. What is not well known is teh fame of two of his aunts.
Back when William Penn was the governor of the area that would one day bear
his name, one of the first price wars in history broke out and it involved
two of his aunts.
They owned a bakery and were justly famous for their pies. A new rival
bakery lowered the price on their goods and started making serious inroads
on the aunt's sales.
After several weeks the aunts decided that enough was enough and lowered
their charge to less than cost, hoping they could survive long enough to
drive the upstarts out.
In no time at all the entire town was talking about,
"The pie rates of Penn's aunts."
Alex W.
"Mike Painter" <mddotp...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:5P_Ak.888$Ws1...@nlpi064.nbdc.sbc.com...
You'll go to hell for this one ... even if I have to personally invent,
build, furnish, stock and staff it.
Mike Painter
It's not my fault.
If the nursemaid had not been hard of hearing, I'm sure we would be hearing
about the pie lates of those aunts.
Mark K. Bilbo
<inserting key for launch of Intercontinental Rubber Chickens>
--
Mark K. Bilbo a.a. #1423
EAC Department of Linguistic Subversion
------------------------------------------------------------
"You know, I'd get it if people were just looking for a
way to fill the holes. But they want the holes. They wanna
live in the holes. And they go nuts when someone else
pours dirt in their holes.
"Climb out of your holes people!"
- Dr. House, on faith
RhymeCon
Thank you. It takes a lifelong Gilbert & Sullivan devotee (like me) to
guffaw over a pun as bad as that one.
RymeCon
Stan-O
<mddotp...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>True. What is not well known is teh fame of two of his aunts.
>
>Back when William Penn was the governor of the area that would one day bear
>his name, one of the first price wars in history broke out and it involved
>two of his aunts.
>They owned a bakery and were justly famous for their pies. A new rival
>bakery lowered the price on their goods and started making serious inroads
>on the aunt's sales.
>After several weeks the aunts decided that enough was enough and lowered
>their charge to less than cost, hoping they could survive long enough to
>drive the upstarts out.
>
>In no time at all the entire town was talking about,
>"The pie rates of Penn's aunts."
I don't know which is worse; Reading this joke or getting "Rick
Roled".