For Rev ... President Bush...whatcha think?

[Silver Adept]

With regards to etymology - I think religion derives itself from religio, the term used to describe acceptable spiritual practices in the Roman Empire, as opposed to superstitio, from which we derive superstition. But that's probably as valid as any definition.

Talking about the content of arguments - the idea of "separation of church and state" is true. It's the First Amendment - no nationally established religion to the exclusion of all others, no interfering with the citizens if they decide to practice a religion.

Most people, however, have confused this with "separation of church from state", which is an entirely different idea. In separation of church from state, the State becomes officially atheist. So no "under God", no "In God We Trust", no Masonic Symbols, etc. God is scrubbed off any and all official governmental policy, documents, and ideologies. You can decide for yourself which of those you like.

Abortion is a touchy subject. That being said, in an ideal society, there should be no need for it, because there should be no unplanned or unwanted children, and science hould be advanced enough that there is little to no danger to any mother in birthing. We live, unfortunately, in a less-than ideal society, and so the option to abort is necessary. Personally, I think in cases of rape or danger to the mother's life are the only acceptable instances to consider an abortion under.

Sexual education is a requirement in this society - parents shoulder the primary responsibility for educating their children about sexual desire and the consequences of such desires. And while they may make their preference known about whether or not the children engage in sex, they're also responsible for providing information about engaging in sex in a way that minimises the risks. School sexual education should be a complement to parental sexual education, a forum where one can ask the kinds of questions that a child feels their parents won't answer or will jump to wrong conclusions over.

The truth is that abstinence from sexual activity is the only one-hundred-percent effective way of avoiding diseases transmitted by sexual contact. Safe sex practices lower the risk but cannot eliminate it.

With regards to War and the President - Some people believe the President told them delibrate falsehoods, or at least used shady evidence to back his claims, to fight in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Whatever the cause may be, follow this Rule of Engagement (It may be attributed to someone, I don't know): If you're not going to fight it out to the end, don't start. Now that we've started, we should finish the job properly. That doesn't mean I don't think the President should be bounced from the office come November - but whomever's entering the office should be willing to finish what the other started. (Mark another one up to the Pro-troops philosophy, and not just because I've threatened a Marine I know that I'll personally resrrect him just to kill him again for being stupid enough to die.)