newest posts
|
Welcome to Catholic Answers Forums, the largest Catholic Community on the Web.
Here you can join over 300,000 members from around the world discussing all things Catholic. Membership is open to all, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, who seek the Truth with Charity.
To gain full access, you must register for a FREE account. Registered members are able to:
- Submit questions about the faith to experts from Catholic Answers
- Participate in all forum discussions
- Communicate privately with Catholics from around the world
- Plus join a prayer group, read with the Book Club, and much more.
Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free. So join our community today!
Have a question about registration or your account log-in? Just contact our Support Hotline.
|
 |
Aug 20, '12, 3:45 pm
|
|
New Member
|
|
Join Date: March 16, 2012
Posts: 32
Religion: Catholic
|
|
Catholic Bishops of Zambia: 'Constitution Should Not Identify Zambia as Christian Nation'
Link here: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/...licCulture.org))
Zambia's constitution should not identify 'Christian nation,' bishops argue
CWN - August 20, 2012
The Catholic bishops of Zambia are opposing a plan to identify the African country as “a Christian nation” in the preamble to a new proposed constitution.
In explaining their stand, the bishops said that “a country cannot practice the values and precepts of Christianity by a mere declaration.” The bishops’ statement, circulated in response to a call for comments on the draft constitution, continued:
The principle of separation between State and Religion must not be lost. If Zambia is a multi-religious Country, a fact that was recognized in the preamble of the first draft of the Technical Committee, to say that Zambia is a Christian nation would be in contradiction with this fact.
In other comments, the Catholic bishops objected to language that would allow for the death penalty and for legal abortion.
Remnant's take: http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/
|
Aug 20, '12, 6:41 pm
|
 |
Forum Elder
Prayer Warrior
Radio Club Member
|
|
Join Date: April 18, 2007
Posts: 19,990
Religion: One. Holy. Catholic. Apostolic.
|
|
Re: Catholic Bishops of Zambia: 'Constitution Should Not Identify Zambia as Christian Nation'
"World news"?
__________________
Regarding Moses throwing the stone tablets - "He was the first one in the world to break all of the commandments at once" - Bishop Fulton Sheen
|
Aug 20, '12, 8:37 pm
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: June 3, 2004
Posts: 8,371
Religion: transferring to the Melkite Church
|
|
Re: Catholic Bishops of Zambia: 'Constitution Should Not Identify Zambia as Christian Nation'
I actually agree with the Bishops on this. The Constitution isn't the place to establish religion, especially when Christianity is so fragmented and diverse in Zambia that any general label of "Christian" is practically inapplicable.
The country is either Christian or it isn't, but that happens on the ground, not on a piece of paper.
Peace and God bless!
P.S. As a side note, there are two states between the Granola State and Canada. Which one do you inhabit?
__________________
 But I will look for some means of going to heaven by a little way which is very short and very straight, a little way that is quite new.
|
Aug 20, '12, 9:35 pm
|
|
Forum Elder
Prayer Warrior
Radio Club Member
|
|
Join Date: April 18, 2007
Posts: 19,990
Religion: One. Holy. Catholic. Apostolic.
|
|
Re: Catholic Bishops of Zambia: 'Constitution Should Not Identify Zambia as Christian Nation'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghosty
I actually agree with the Bishops on this. The Constitution isn't the place to establish religion, especially when Christianity is so fragmented and diverse in Zambia that any general label of "Christian" is practically inapplicable.
The country is either Christian or it isn't, but that happens on the ground, not on a piece of paper.
Peace and God bless!
P.S. As a side note, there are two states between the Granola State and Canada. Which one do you inhabit?
|
If we take a look at nations with state religions, we see some of the most secular societies in the world. I am thinking Europe and Scandinavia here.
On the last point, I consider Oregon as the granola state. I am in King county, actually.Yeah, that one.
__________________
Regarding Moses throwing the stone tablets - "He was the first one in the world to break all of the commandments at once" - Bishop Fulton Sheen
|
Aug 21, '12, 12:28 am
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: June 3, 2004
Posts: 8,371
Religion: transferring to the Melkite Church
|
|
Re: Catholic Bishops of Zambia: 'Constitution Should Not Identify Zambia as Christian Nation'
Quote:
Originally Posted by po18guy
If we take a look at nations with state religions, we see some of the most secular societies in the world. I am thinking Europe and Scandinavia here.
|
Which is precisely my point, and I believe part of the point of the Bishops. State religion doesn't make for religious practice.
Quote:
|
On the last point, I consider Oregon as the granola state. I am in King county, actually.Yeah, that one.
|
Never heard Oregon called that before, but it's true enough. Though if Oregon is Granola, so is Western Washington. I'm in Seattle so I'm familiar with the "Granola Belt" of Cascadia. 
Peace and God bless!
__________________
But I will look for some means of going to heaven by a little way which is very short and very straight, a little way that is quite new.
|
Aug 21, '12, 10:51 am
|
 |
Junior Member
|
|
Join Date: August 3, 2010
Posts: 298
Religion: Roman Catholic
|
|
Re: Catholic Bishops of Zambia: 'Constitution Should Not Identify Zambia as Christian Nation'
Quote:
Originally Posted by po18guy
"World news"?
|
Why wouldn't it be. If Catholic bishops were opposed to a re-draft of the US constitution would you expect that to be stuck in a local news channe?
|
Aug 21, '12, 11:29 am
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: June 3, 2004
Posts: 8,371
Religion: transferring to the Melkite Church
|
|
Re: Catholic Bishops of Zambia: 'Constitution Should Not Identify Zambia as Christian Nation'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pilgrim1701
Why wouldn't it be. If Catholic bishops were opposed to a re-draft of the US constitution would you expect that to be stuck in a local news channe?
|
When that was posted the thread wasn't in World News yet; it was a request in the form of a question.
Peace and God bless!
__________________
But I will look for some means of going to heaven by a little way which is very short and very straight, a little way that is quite new.
|
Aug 21, '12, 1:19 pm
|
|
Forum Elder
Prayer Warrior
Radio Club Member
|
|
Join Date: April 18, 2007
Posts: 19,990
Religion: One. Holy. Catholic. Apostolic.
|
|
Re: Catholic Bishops of Zambia: 'Constitution Should Not Identify Zambia as Christian Nation'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pilgrim1701
Why wouldn't it be. If Catholic bishops were opposed to a re-draft of the US constitution would you expect that to be stuck in a local news channe?
|
This was originally posted in a different forum, and has been moved. That was a suggestion.
__________________
Regarding Moses throwing the stone tablets - "He was the first one in the world to break all of the commandments at once" - Bishop Fulton Sheen
|
Aug 21, '12, 1:23 pm
|
 |
Regular Member
|
|
Join Date: July 30, 2012
Posts: 1,692
Religion: Catholic
|
|
Re: Catholic Bishops of Zambia: 'Constitution Should Not Identify Zambia as Christian Nation'
Makes sense. Identifying it as a Christian nation in the Constitution just opens up a can of worms as people argue over which flavor of Christianity, how it should be enforced, if it should be enforced, the extent to which the government tolerates other religions, etc.
Better to just let people decide which religion they want to follow and be identified as and not have the government involved in the process.
__________________
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." --William Pitt the Younger
|
Aug 21, '12, 3:07 pm
|
|
Banned
|
|
Join Date: December 17, 2010
Posts: 768
Religion: Catholic
|
|
Re: Catholic Bishops of Zambia: 'Constitution Should Not Identify Zambia as Christian Nation'
Quote:
|
Better to just let people decide which religion they want to follow and be identified as and not have the government involved in the process.
|
I think it would depend on the country. To say the country recognizes the importance of Christianity in the foundation of its laws would seem perfectly acceptable. You can't separate morals and laws from the faith of the people.
Abortion can only be understood as evil with the idea of the dignity of the individual being recognized from conception to natural death.
|
Aug 26, '12, 12:25 pm
|
|
Junior Member
|
|
Join Date: August 3, 2010
Posts: 298
Religion: Roman Catholic
|
|
Re: Catholic Bishops of Zambia: 'Constitution Should Not Identify Zambia as Christian Nation'
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghosty
When that was posted the thread wasn't in World News yet; it was a request in the form of a question.
Peace and God bless!
|
Sorry. It was in that section when I came across it and didn't know it had been moved.
It kind of came across as a bit sarcastic in the sequence of comments, as if to say, should this be considered newsworthy? Needless to say I totally misread the comment.
|
| Thread Tools |
Search Thread |
|
|
|
| Display |
 Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
advertise with us
|
