RE: TFP update article, E Magazine, Constitutional interpretation

Without wanting to veer much more off topic or kick off a flamestorm :-) the opinion of most strict interpretations I've heard is somewhere between; government is supposed to be conducted by Christian principles, but is forbidden to create favoritism or suppression of any faith. The "wall of separation" Jefferson referred to was to be one-way. Part of the confusion arises through interpretation of the words "establishment of religion"; the conservative interpretation is "creation of an official state church", the liberal interpretation is "any sect or faith as an entity". Ancillary writings by the Founding Fathers appear to indicate that the concept of religion NOT being a part of daily life, and therefore of government, was so far outside their thought processes that it would never have occurred to them.

The courts have been using the second interpretation.

Dave Neil

-----Original Message-----
From: Jack_Earley@RL.GOV [mailto:Jack_Earley@RL.GOV]
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 8:35 AM
To: RuthWeiner@AOL.COM; jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET; slavak@gj.net; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Subject: RE: TFP update article, E Magazine

Forgive my nit-picking, but the Constitution says nothing about separation of church and state. The Supreme Court did.

Jack Earley
Radiological Engineer

-----Original Message-----
From: RuthWeiner@aol.com [mailto:RuthWeiner@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 8:57 PM
To: jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET; slavak@gj.net; radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Subject: Re: TFP update article, E Magazine

In a message dated 9/16/02 8:08:25 PM Mountain Daylight Time, jjcohen@PRODIGY.NET writes:

People with a science/technology background don't seem to get it!
Like other religions, anti-nuclear-ism is based on faith. If their
"prophets" say there is a 75% increase in cancer rate near nuclear plants,
who are we to question it? In our culture, most of us have learned to at
least tolerate religions other than our own. Why not extend this attitude
to Norm and others of his faith? Forget about mathematics, statistics, and
scientific logic. Such tools are irrelevant to the true believer. In their
world, facts are whatever you sincerely believe them to be.

So that according to the constitutional separation of church and state, NRC and EPA and DOE can ignore the anti-nukes? What a novel idea!

Ruth
Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.
ruthweiner@aol.com