My Exploratory Essay

For my English class, my latest project is to write something as if for a senate (or something along those lines). My latest assignment? An exploratory essay going through some of my research process for that project. So that's what I'm going to share with you today. My Exploratory Essay on the Separation of Church and State.

Day 1

I begin my research on Spring Break, in my own room, sitting on a rather comfy blue chair. Why am I doing this research? Because I have to – there is a grade that I need to get, being worth 20% of my overall assignment. So I took advantage of this time to start my research. My dad is at work because of a problem that was just called in and my mom and brother are down in the barn. It’s about 8:00pm, and all is dark outside – only sounds to be heard are the barking of our dogs who are at the moment chasing coyote’s off our property. And thus, it starts.

Before leaving on Spring Break, I picked up two books from the library: “The Separation of Church and State” by Forrest Church, and “Church and State”, a book from the Opposing Viewpoints Series. This is what I will be sifting through tonight. I will not be looking online – I will be lazy and save that part for later.

Turns out that my first choice (the one by Forrest Church) was a loss – nothing of interest, and nothing important to my argument. What am I arguing exactly? Simple – the separation of church and state. I want church to be church, and state to stay state. No slimy tentacles attaching from one to the other. I prefer my country tentacle free. So yes, nothing in this book besides the (rather uninteresting) history of how religious freedom came to be in the United States – the freedom to worship whatever/whoever you want. That is good, but does not aid in separating. Round 2?

“The establishment of religion clause means at least this:

·        Neither a state nor the federal government may set up a church.

·        Neither can pass laws that aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another.

·        Neither can force a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion…

·        Neither a state nor the federal government may, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa”

- “Church and State”, pg. 20

Aha! There is the information I want and need – right away! I have now found the original meaning of the separation of church and state. It means this:

So that means…

1.      There cannot government funded church or any church in any relation to the government (besides residing within the government rules of course).

2.      There cannot be any laws that would give benefit to one religion or another.

3.      There cannot be any enforcement of church attendance or no church attendance. That choice is within the people alone.

4.      The government cannot work or participate with any church or religious organizations (visa-versa).

Awesome – that alone helps already. The rest of this chapter goes along 8 different viewpoints:

1.      Historically there has been a wall Between Church and State

2.      There is No Historical Basis for a Separation Between Church and State

3.      America is a Christian Nation

4.      America is a Secular Nation

5.      Religious Expression in the United States Is Too Public and Political

6.      The Separation of Church and State in the United States Has Gone Too Far

7.      There Should Be a Separation of Church and State to Protect Religious Liberty

8.      The Post-1947 Concept of Church and State Has Led to Intolerance of Religious Expression

These are all very good topics, however there are some (stupid) people who have written some. By this, I mean that they write, speak, and think religiously besides standing back and thinking secularly for a moment. To push it out there, I am a Christian (non-denominational), and one of my main beliefs I stand true to is that even if there was no such thing as religion, what we do would work just fine. Obviously in worshipping to God, in which Christianity is centered around, would prove useless in those terms that is an exception – because it is a core mechanic of religion. But take everything else in life that many do for cases of religion:

a.      Be Kind to people around you, and treat them with respect: This holds true for religion and secularity. While being kind is promoted by God and Biblical scriptures, it makes sense to be kind in a secular environment as well. You are pleasant to be around, and therefore people like you. You could even go as far as to say that in being kind you make allies, and being an ass, you make enemies. And to even back this belief up more, Christianity isn’t the only religion to promote kindness. There is, to name a few: Buddhism, Confucius, and Islam. Religions who have no connection with Christianity, seem to come up with the same core beliefs – obviously there is something to it. I call it common sense.

b.      Be a vegetarian – I see this as a guideline, not a rule. In Christianity, the scriptures glorify those who eat as a vegetarian (such as Daniel in Babylon) – though they don’t glorify because of vegetarianism. However there are those who take things too far. Worse off, there are “prophets” that claim that vegetarianism is the holier choice (see: Ellen White, Seventh Day Adventist) and majorities follow. Vegetarianism is a choice: one that should not be altered or effected by a religion. If it makes sense to you, or you are for some reason unable to digest meat, go for it. If you do it because a religion says so, you’re not thinking.

The second chapter to this book explains about how religious affiliation influences the political system. Oddly, this falls right into my above examples. The preface for the chapter gives the scenario of immigration laws around the Mexican border. Those who were thinking just about the law saw the need to make stronger laws for immigration; those who were using religious thinking were against the laws because, “It’s not what Jesus would do.”

Actually, we can’t know what Jesus would or wouldn’t do. But we do have laws, and if someone breaks the laws (such as entering the country illegally), they should be held accountable for those transgressions. The law is generally clear and simple, except when religion tries to inject it’s viewpoints.

Chapter 2, as it turns out, is a smaller chapter. Titled “How Does the Wall Between Church and State Affect Political Issues”, it’s viewpoints are titled:

1.      Religious Leaders Should Not Get Involved in Politics

2.      Religious Leaders Have the Right to Get Involved in Politics

3.      Politicians Should Be Allowed to Let Their Religious Beliefs Influence Policy Decisions

4.      The Introduction of Religious Beliefs into Policy Decisions Must Be Opposed

5.      Political Candidates Should Be Free to Talk About Religious Beliefs

6.      Political Candidates Rely Too Much on Religion

These articles are all very well written and hold plenty of information, however what is to be used is yet to be decided. But my view on it? I should expand on what I’ve written before:

Above, I called those who think solely (or majorly) on religion are “stupid”. This chapter seems to strengthen that view wherein it talks about religion intermingled with politics. When there are candidates for some sort of election running, religion ends up mucking up a lot of the real information.

For example, one man running would be a great contributor to civilization and exactly what the country needs, but he’s an atheist running against a “good” (albeit secretly corrupt) Lutheran (just an example) that will pull the country down. Because he’s atheist, he has just lost a large amount of votes from the public because they would rather have the country in control by a religious president compared to a secular one. Even though one is better than the other, the religious prejudices override many facts that could just make sense to go with. This is what I mean by “religious thinking is stupid”.

So there you have it: I’ve spent an hour and a half working on this research so far, and I am tired. Still dark outside, I’m ready to call it a night for homework.

Day 2/Finale

I found out that Spring Break got in the way fast. So here I am, like a normal college student, finishing this last minute. I’ve decided I will definitely use the book I studied through earlier, but the make this a more wholesome summary of my resources/exploration of the topic, I will use some online sourcing.

First off, I will be using a site called infidels.org, in which they have U.S. Supreme Court Decisions regarding the Separation of Church and State. Here they are, all lined up and ready for me to use for my project. Dating all the way back to 1879, I have 15 important court cases to work with to mold to my needs.

My next source will be citing from “Jefferson’s Wall of Separation Letter”, written in October of 1801. The website hosting this information is www.usconstitution.net, where they have any/everything regarding constitution up for grabs.

As a final sourcing for my information, I have decided to dig into www.free2pray.info, where many anti Separation of Church and State people have information against my goal. Having this VERY alternate siding to my other two sources will help in writing my rebuttal, as this site is dedicated mainly to the freedom of having religion in everything.

So that’s it – I have many of my sources down on paper (in ink really, but though the printer) and I plan to get this project started soon enough. I will probably find more sourcing, but for now I believe this sets a fine tuned example of my ideas and plans. 

Presenting... The Omni-Pie!

Hey all - I am completely checked out mentally from everything at the moment, especially school. But I do want my English points, and why not give you guys something to read!

Below is the script for a Commercial project we had for English a few weeks ago - amazing stuff. I will see what I can do about getting the commercial up on youtube and link it to this blog soon! But until then...

PRESENTING The Omni-Pie (yeah, we just put it there to sound cool)

What it does

-          Homework

-          Gets us to class

-          Pays off loans

-          Feeds you!

Cost

-          Six installments of $15.99 +S&H +Tax +Royalties +Annual Fees for Network access

-          Call now and get a second for 20% off!

-          Requires an active data connection with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, or Sprint. (An extra fee of $20 per month)

Description: This pie is not intended for children under 13 years old, or women who are pregnant or intending to become pregnant. Contents of this pie cannot be disclosed due to international regulations for fear of lawsuit by the CDC for missing rare and dangerous viruses. These comments have not been approved by the FDA, the USA, the UK, the CIA, the FBI, the UAE, ICPO, KGB,  and other international organizations and terrorist groups.

Side effects

-          Itchy Skin

-          Dry Mouth

-          Nose Bleeds

-          Blood Clots

-          High Cholesterol

-          Schizophrenia

-          Empty Bank Accounts

-          Sticky Toes

-          Trouble Sleeping

-          Itchy Eyes

-          Allergies

-          Sneezing

-          Blood loss

-          Vomiting

-          Missing Organs

-          Dry skin

-          Blurry vision

-          Laziness

-          Diarrhea

-          Internal Bleeding

-          Incineration

-          Diabetes

-          Stage 4 Cancer

-          Strange Attraction to Lightning

-          Hives

-          Strange Romantic Attractions to the Pie itself

-          An erection that lasts for more than four hours

-          Erectile Dysfunction

-          World War III

-          Radiation

-          Alcohol Poisoning

-          Mercury Blood Contaminations

-          AND Rigged Elections

Call now to secure your Omni-Pie today! Call a minute ago and get your second Pie free!

(Audio Voiceover) I’m Barrack Obama and I approve this message.

Super Cheesy Grilled Cheese with Extra Cheese

And bacon. That was my dinner last night. NEVER - EVER - again. Albeit, it was absolutely delicious. But the side effects were not pretty. I could practically taste a heart attack, and my blood flow seemed to slow to the speed of a sloth. Ever heard of cholesterol? I think I developed it for last night alone. This is what happens when you get:

- A third of a french loaf (sliced in half) (and I only ate one half!)
- Cream cheese (instead of butter)
- Provolone, Swiss, and Muenster
- Bacon
- Tomato soup (with bacon!)

Yeah - a whole lot of delicious. And a whole lot of regret. Never again.

Weather and Timeshift

So today, a very important event has taken place in the United States - the damn timeshift that messes with everyone's internal clocks. Yep - daylight savings time. I remembered this because I aimed to go to bed at 2:00 this morning, only to realize that a whole hour went away in a matter of seconds. Thus, I fell asleep at 3:00.

But on the bright side (no pun intended), the weather is looking better. Albeit, it is rainy - but the temperatures are feeling nice! A cool 50-60 degrees feels heavenly! If only it didn't get much warmer and stayed like this (without the rain) for the summer, I would be super happy!

Gah - Homework

I make no attempt to cloak this, and I make no attempt to lie about what this blog post is. I have been working with homework for nearly 12 hours today, with two small breaks. Math is not cool at the moment, and I have no idea what to write. Not a good day.

So this post is exactly what it looks like - bullshit to fill up my post quota. Although my wordcount usually makes up for my lack of posts whenever, I still like to post when possible in order to keep the daily thing going. Just some days one is meant to post blog stuff. Especially when it's a busy day.

But hey - do you like music? Music is amazing and it helps get me through the day. And talking to certain people*, but that's a whole other thing! Anyways (I WILL make it a word btw), have a GREAT weekend and get some rest - we all need it! 

The Domino Effect Conundrum

The day just sucks - nothing gets better, and things just keep getting worse. This is what I call the Domino Effect Conundrum - everything adds up. And this would perfectly explain my morning.

I woke up this morning with an hour and a half before class to get ready, eat, and read! Then I realized I had an assignment due at 10:30 that morning - there goes my reading opportunity. I finish my work and food and start walking to class and hit pouring rain, so I quickly run back to my room and get an umbrella. My way to class (coffee in one hand, umbrella in the other), my shoes become soaked halfway there. Awesome - soaked shoes today! The day continued, lack of concentration because I was somehow tired, and then English class hit for my group presentation. Guess what? The flash drive that had our commercial was corrupted. Awesome.

So yeah, things build up unfortunately. And life can suck. At least it was only the morning!

Hate Groups

There are people who don't like others, and continue on just fine. There are others who hate people, and continue to hate them to extreme amounts. This second group of people are in what is called "Hate Groups". And there are many out there, but according to the National list, there are only 9 for Idaho. I know there are more, but nine is already too many.

Ever hear of "Gospel Ministries", "Aryan Nations", or the "Underground Skinhead Action"? Yeah - lots of people out there. A saddenning fact? About half the hate groups on just the national list are religious organizations - churches. Now, I don’t know much about Hate Groups, and I’m not sure I’d want to be in any. However, I may end up making my own just for the hell of it: “The Anti Hate Group, Hate Group”. Sounds cool, right?

Stupid People

So I've talked a lot about people who are stupid on this blog - like a lot. I thought it's time that I talk about THEM as a topic as well! So here it goes - and if it offends you, I'm sorry. But that's your fault and not mine.

So there are people who do stupid things, and there are those who, although inherent and may/may not be able to fix it, are stupid. I don't mean the people who are just dumb or uninformed - sure, there are those - but I mean people who are well informed and don't use their brains. For example, there is one guy in my class (whom I shall not name) who is nice... and weird. See, he tries too hard to be different and comes off very annoying. And he's smart, but he doesn't know how to use it to figure out that because of the way he acts, it drives people the opposite direction intended.

THIS is one form of stupid. The inability (or maybe the lack of desire to) understand your surroundings to adapt. Thus, the answer leads directly to the consequences. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Then there's another form of stupid that I've noticed. And this applies to when what is said is true: He ended up reading my paper that I wrote about him (for a writing exercise) and said he was offended.

Well. I'm sorry, but it is not my problem you are offended. In that, my friend, it is your fault to be offended. In fact, you choose to be offended. And as it's true, there's not much I can say without lying either.

So yeah, people can be super stupid, and the world spins on. It's okay though, because there are those people who are right, and you can listen to them. Hell - you can listen to me: I'm ALWAYS right :D

'Cept when I'm not.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Review

Over this weekend, I was given a beta key for the New Elder Scrolls game by Zenimax (this is the first online game made, and it is not associated to the direct video game series). This is my review of what I thought, and maybe it will help in aiding you of your decision of to buy or not to buy.

Performance
First things first, how well does it perform - how will it look, and how good does my computer need to be to run it? Simple. You can easily run this game with mediocre computer and get very high graphics settings. My GPU (GTX 760) was not even close to overworked with max settings, so any computer should do pretty decently. And for an online game, this is beautiful.

Plot

Like many MMO games, there is some sort of plot, but not very important. You can easily skip past all the dialogue and still play the game. In fact, I ended up skipping most all the voice overs because they just got boring and in the way. But an MMO isn't there for the plot, it's for the gameplay, leveling, and community. 

Gameplay
This is actually relatively interesting game concepts - the battle system reminded me of the First Person view fighting mixed with hotkeys from Torchlight II. You can walk around in a free-roam environment, but the jumping lacks a bit in comparison to the other Elder Scrolls titles. Overall, the game is very quick and to the point - fight through monsters to continue through quests, explore to find more quests. Get better armor, upgrade your weapons, etc. It's really a common MMO game with some Elder Scroll lore and themes.

My Take
I'm glad I had the chance to give TESO a go before putting any actual money toward it. For me, I probably wouldn't pay the $14 a month to play it as I find many MMO's monotonous and boring. But that doesn't mean that others won't like it. If you like Runescape or World of Warcraft, you'd probably enjoy this game tremendously. And for those who have never played an Elder Scrolls game, think of this as a different game entirely, where they just share the same lore.