Presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, in a speech today made some comments about the Constitution and changing it. Here is the story:
WARREN, Mich. -- Huckabee's closing argument to voters here this evening featured a few new stories and two prolonged sections on illegal immigration and Christian values.
These two topics usually feature prominently in Huckabee's stump speech, but last night he got specific, promising to build a border fence within 18 months if elected and elaborating on his belief that the constitution needs to be amended.
These two topics usually feature prominently in Huckabee's stump speech, but last night he got specific, promising to build a border fence within 18 months if elected and elaborating on his belief that the constitution needs to be amended.
"[Some of my opponents] do not want to change the Constitution, but I believe it's a lot easier to change the constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God, and that's what we need to do is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than try to change God's standards," Huckabee said, referring to the need for a constitutional human life amendment and an amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
Huckabee often refers to the need to amend the constitution on these grounds, but he has never so specifically called for the Constitution to be brought within "God's standards," which are themselves debated amongst religious scholars. As a closing statement he asked the room of nearly 500 supporters to "pray and then work hard, and in that order," to help him secure a victory in Tuesday's GOP primary.
Well, we have not really looked at the Constitution just yet in class, but from your previous knowledge, do you believe that Huckabee is right and that the Constitution does not fall within God's will, and if so, should we move to change the Constitution in order to get into God's will?
25 comments:
First of all the Constitution does lie within God's will because as a Catholic I believe that God has given me the freedom of choice so whether it is my decision to go with "God's will" against homosexuality or not is entirely up to me by the the grace God gave me: choice. Second, the Constitution should not be conformed to God's law because while the Constitution does fall under God's law hardly breaking it, the Constituition and the entire American way of life was not created to appease the laws of God, they were made to govern the land and the people (of various backgrounds). By making the Constitution conform to the laws of God, one must break one of the most sacred freedoms that this nation was founded upon: freedom of religion. Huckabee is trying impress his religion upon the everyday American. The founding fathers tried to seperate church and state for the reason that many had conflicting views thus making it the law of the land not God. Also, if Huckabee knew scripture, it says that when Jesus's response to whether it was right for Jews to pay Caeser taxes was, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." This can be interpreted as while you as an individual do the will of God you as a part of society do not differentiate yourself from those who do not believe as you do. Seperation of church and state is a long and never ending feud supported and antagonized by both sides. However, how can you justify yourself as a Christian or follower of any tolerant religion if you are trying to enforce your views on another?
I'm not in government, but they should definitely not change the constitution to be under God's standards because not everybody believes in God and has the same religion. THat would be like saying the right to religion of your choice was a lie.
Sarah Lambert
Human Geography AP (4)
9th grade
Alex Wheeler
2nd
silly, silly huckabee read the first amendment, preferably BEFORE you plan on running for president...
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Abigail Ham
9th grade
4th period
This is...conflicting.
1)The Constitution has been in affect for 221 years. I seriously doubt a drastic change.
2)Only a few things should be changed about the Constituition. One, the conflict of praying in schools has pretty much been taken care of, now that we have the MINUTE of silence, which for Christians, Jews and Muslims, can be used for prayer. OR, if one isn't among these religions, they can simply use that minute to gather their thoughts, honor those lost in 9/11, etc. So that doesn't really need to be changed. As for teachers being completely open with their religion, no offense, I disagree. They are entitiled to their beliefs, yes, but what about the possibility of discriminatory remarks on other sects or religions? Not that they ever would, but wouldn't that make non-Christians/Muslims/Hindi/Buddhist/
athiest students feel oppressed? That's something that can be avoided, so I say we should.
As for the marriage between a man and woman being the only true marriage, I agree. That's what it says in the Bible, I am obligated to agree. Besides, nature is against gay/lesbian/bi-sexual individuals. (Sorry, that's just how it is. I don't condemn the people, just the idea.)
And for the border problem, there is no way for a giant wall to be the ultimate solution. Where there is a will, there is a way. Laws are made to be broken. Walls are made to be scaled. That's about it. The immigration problem is a walking, talking contradiction. We don't want them coming, yet we don't want the jobs in our own communities that the immigrants will take. Doesn't make much sense to me.
God's standards are relatively vague in some cases. And even when they're not, people choose to interpret differently. To bring the Constitution in God's standards is to call for some serious politics and maybe some movements in the other universalizing religions. It'll be the Partition of India in America!
George Huang
6th Period
The Constitution does not fall within God's will, and it should not be altered to fit God's will. While Huckabee's suggestions may be attractive to some voters, as a Buddhist I feel it's unacceptable because it not only suggests that our government is driven by Christianity, but also that it endorses this influence instead of working to be secular.
Gay couples have a valid argument that their inability to be married puts them at an economic disadvantage; they should be allowed to have the same tax benefits as heterosexual married couples. While states can choose to create a separate category of union for gay couples, such as the same-sex civil union, gay couples probably would be more satisfied with saying "we're married" than "we're civilly united." I think it's necessary to redefine the standards of marriage as secular and uninfluenced by the Bible (currently, marriage is inherently religious by definition). This would spark a lot of controversy because currently married couples would not be happy to redefine their marriages, but I feel it's still necessary.
You can't change the constitution to be under "God's standard" because not everyone is Christain and if you changed it it would be violating the first amendment which has been in effect for over 200 years. WHY CHANGE IT NOW??
Lindsay Huffhines
2nd period
I completely disagree with amending the constitution to fit a certain religion. That is resting too much of our government on something that needs to be an individual choice. We can't go around boasting freedom of religion if we don't let people choose. You can still be a moral person without being a Christian.
I don't agree with classifying marriage as a union between a man and a woman. To me, this is all about personal choice. It's just discremination. We can't deny love to someone just because they were born with different inclinations. There are multitudes of research that show being gay is not a choice, but a genetic variation. Are we going to stop handicapped people from playing sports because they don't have legs? Also, gay couples make just as good neighbors, workers and parents as anyone else. Many children are adopted by gay couples, and given a chance at a life where they will be loved and cared for and wanted. We could just leave them in the foster program, where their learning and growing environment is disrupted by so many changes. If we have a president who tries to push his religious views on the country, we've lost that essential first amendment freedom. Mitt Romney isn't trying to convince everyone to become a Morman.
David Glasheen-3rd
The Constitution was written by Christians for a country that was predominantly Christian. The Founding Fathers wanted the Constitution to reflect the values of their "Christian Nation."
Today, I do not believe that religion should wield a direct influence over the creation of legislation or Constitutional amendments.
Still, I think the Constitution guarantees freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. We all have to be a little tolerant.
Ok, the Constitution is set up so that it is as close to the good moral standards of the nation, and it may be interpreted and changed to come closer to the nation's version of good moral standards, not any one religion's standards.
To people that say that the Founding Fathers were Christian, so the country should have solely Christian principles, I say first that Christianity in that time was a far cry from today's Christianity and secondly to read "Thomas Jefferson's Bible". He had a loose interpretation of God's will.
So my answer is no, we should not move the Constitution to be in "God's Will". Who knows what that is? In the same list of rules that declares that homosexuality is an abomination, the Bible also states that eating shellfish and shaving your beard is an abomination. Selective reading, Fundamentalists?
Plus, who cares? If two men want to wear rings together, it shouldn't bother anyone. I think some people believe that homosexuality is contagious.
Lets start with some statistics
78.5 % of the United States population is Christian
1.4 % is Jewish
2 % is Buddist
1 % is Islam
0.9 % is Hindu
And the rest included non-religious, sikihism, native american spirituality, and other religious.
1.51 % of United States citizens are Gay, bisexual, or lesbian
While gay, non-christian populations may not be the majority of the United States they do account for a large chunk of the population. Thats a lot of people to try and force under a religious based government that does not agree with thier beliefs or life styles. The first amendment protects out right to religion or if we so choose freedome from it. It would be completly unconstitutional to change the constitution to better suit Mr. Huckabee's religous ideals.
I somewhat agree with Huckabee. I think it would be good to perhaps amend the constitution, but i also understand how that could oppress others. As a Christian its hard to find the right balance, because most of us don't want to force our beliefs on others but we also believe that some of those beliefs, if not liked by everybody, will benefit everyone in the end. I for one am against homosexuality. I love gay people and have met quite a few but i still think it's a sin. To me it's the same thing as looking at porn or committing adulterey or telling a lie, and as Abigail said it goes against the natural order of things. Two guys can't have a baby and since God said go forth and multiply im pretty sure he's against it as well. I don't know if changing the goverment is really the right way to go though. Probably the only way to ever change it is by doing what Jesus did and that was change the lives of the people.
hannah thornton
2nd
the constitution has been in affect for over two hundred years & i seriously doubt any drastic changes will be made anytime soon. also, if they altered the consitution to fit God's will, they would be going against the first amendment which states that,"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." if they change the constitution to reflect the laws of God, that statement would be a lie because a certain religion would be forced upon them.
The Constution does not fall within God's will. I dont think that it should because there are many different religions in the United States and if the Constitution was altered to fit God's will then that would create a lot of controversy. Changing the Constituion at all is a big deal, but especially if you want to make it more Christian bound. When people first came to the United States one of their reasons was to escape religious persecution. I really think that Huckabee needs to change his platform if we wants to get past the prelimaries.
The Constitution should not be changed. We have lived with the same Constitution until now without any major conflicts. The Constitution should not be altered for God. Not everyone believes in God or shares the same religion as everyone else. The Constitution is fine the way it is.
Gillian Welch
3rd
No, no, this will never work. Putting "under God" into the Texas pledge was pushing it. What is Huckabee thinking? That he can gain votes by preaching to the choir? No, no.
This won't work. Sorry.
The principles we live our life by must be based on ethics, equality, fairness - the principles that America was founded on. We shouldn't have to live our life by an interpretation of a book that may or may not be true and beliefs that may or may not be valid. Who would hand down "God's Will" anyway? A preacher?
No, no.
It won't work.
I very much dislike how he is approaching this situation. Even the way he talks about it seems...just not right. Not everyone agrees with what he thinks are "God's standards". Of course presidents make decisions for the whole country but this is taking it too far in my opinion.
Kayleigh Robertson
6th Period
The Constitution does not fall in to God's will and should not be changed as such. The Constitution was created to govern man and establish a sense of ground. If they changed the Constitution to appease God or themselves, the country would go into a riot. Freedom of religion is a huge dilema in our society and just because one believes in God does not mean that everyone else believes the same thing. He needs to stop pressing his religion on others and focus on other topics.
millie dorsett
Human Geography AP 4
10th grade
huckabee is crazy. he is wanting to change the constitution to be in god's favor, when the first amendment clearly states religion is to be seperate from the government. i agree with alex that he should read the first amendment before running.
They should never change the Constitution because people with different religions would not think that's fair to them. There is a reason why religion and politics are seperated. Different religions would not feel as if they're not getting what they should. People know the Constitution and changing it would not help the country as much as it should.
Jiaqi Niu
Human Geography
4th Period
Dear Huck,
If I wanted God for president, I'd vote for God. Just sayin'. You're running for president in a nation that prides itself as a melting pot of different cultures, different people, and different ideas. Leave homogenization to the milk processors. Sure, the Constitution is mutable. Good thing, too, because we've had some pretty nice amendments in the past. But those amendments were to bring necessary change to correct faults in the Constitution, to protect our rights and make things more fair, that sort of thing. Convince me that your proposed amendments accomplish such ends and I'll gladly agree with you. But saying that it's the will of God won't convince me, dear sir--what if my God disagrees with your God? What if my Flying Spaghetti Monster likes homosexual marriages and wants to keep them? Are you telling my God to get lost and move to another country? Be nice. My God has feelings...he's kinda sensitive, and I don't want him to feel unwelcome here in the Land of the Free, you know? Thanks for listening, Huck, my boy.
Sincerely,
King Nathan Alexander Watson III, Esquire
Carleen DeArmon 3rd Period
The constitution should not be changed "according to God's will" because there was firmly established a separation of freedom and state some many years ago, and changing the constitution in accordance to "God's Will" would violate that.
There is also the freedom of choice to bring into consideration, as well as, "The government shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free right thereof;" from the first amendment of the constitution. This should include amending the constitution to fit within some religious standard.
I believe that homosexuality is not unholy, and that everyone should have the right to marry whomever they see fit. I believe that they are homosexual because they were born that way, and so should have the same rights everyone has.
I don't believe it is the president's right to impose religion upon the masses, especially since that is not what the president is there to do.
Huckabee's stance might win him some votes, though, from the everyday die-hard christian!
Spencer Davis, 6th period
Ugh. First off, a huge aspect of our country is our acceptance of widespread religion and beliefs. Have we really come to the point when one of our countries leaders is telling us that there exists only one "correct" faith? I find this a hideous breach of our common tradition and practices, and wish I could find a nice white glove, put it on, take it off in a dramatic flourish, and whap mr. huckabee with it.
I am honestly offended by this, as much as I can get offended I suppose. As an Atheist/plain non-relligionist, I do not desire the laws of the country I live in to be written a being whose existence I do not accept. Now, if our countries constitution did not hold a little clause about freedom of religion, and seperation of church and state, I would have no problem with it, whether I believed it or not. Butttt, we do, so I do. Not to mention several of the current standards held by "god" are rather questionable by me, such as the denial of marriage and even the existence of the emotion of love between two persons of the same sex.
So bottom line, no, I do not agree with him, and if I had a vote in the upcoming election, he would have just lost it for certain.
I agree with Sarah. Although I am Christian and do believe in God, I do not think they should change the constitution to be under His standards. It goes against the freedom of religion. It's not fair for all the Athiests, Buddhists, or any other religions here in the United States, some of which may have moved here to escape religious persecution. If there was not one single person who did not believe in God the situation might be different, but unfortunately, things are different.
Mr. Huckabee seems to be right in that the constitution doesn’t really fit into “God’s will.” However, he seems to refer to a Christian God. In religious-based countries—such many Middle Eastern countries—I agree with him that the written law should at least somewhat represent “God’s will,” since religion plays such an important cultural role in those societies. However, the US is different because religion is clearly separate from state and because there are many different religions in the US. Saying that the US constitution should reflect the views of Christianity is not only unconstitutional (it violates separation of church and state) but may lead to people of other religions being suppressed, which could lead to more problems.
Luke D'Cunha
Government, 2nd period.
Mr. Huckabee seems to be right in that the constitution doesn’t really fit into “God’s will.” However, he seems to refer to a Christian God. In religious-based countries—such many Middle Eastern countries—I agree with him that the written law should at least somewhat represent “God’s will,” since religion plays such an important cultural role in those societies. However, the US is different because religion is clearly separate from state and because there are many different religions in the US. Saying that the US constitution should reflect the views of Christianity is not only unconstitutional (it violates separation of church and state) but may lead to people of other religions being suppressed, which could lead to more problems.
Post a Comment