Define religious freedom.

I think you're trying to say "freedom from religion". As far as school board goes, why does it matter what a board member thinks in this regard? They're not going to get their way. If they tried it, there'd be hell to pay in court costs, attorney's fees, etc.. and they'd lose.

When I subbed, we had these "moments of silence" where kids were supposed to pray or do whatever. I think that's about as far as you can go though.

you should really check the context of this particular scripture and research what it means. He is referring to "practicing your piety"... what do you think that means? do you really think God wants us to be secret service Christians? LOL

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Mathew 5.16

I think what GP is saying is that you don't have to hide the fact the you are a Christian, but you don't have to tell everyone you meet that you are one too.
So, if I am not mistaken, what she is trying to say is that you can show people that you are Christian by the things you do, rather than the things you say.

Couldn't have said it better myself...

exactly. it means you shouldn't be all "i love Jesus!!!" in front of ppl just to make other ppl think you are a "believer" b/c you think it'll help your reputation or whatever.

stress the middle part instead of the first part: "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matt 6:1) this: "beware of practicing your piety before others for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven" is a LOT different than the way the verse really reads.

but i agree the Bible is always up for personal interpretation, but always consider the context when attempting to interpret.

like it or not, Christianity is a part of our nation......and also, like it or not, so are other religious beliefs or non-beliefs. ppl need to vote for who they personally need to vote for. if you want someone who won't bring religion into politics, by all means, vote for who you want. same goes for whoever wants religion considered in decisions. as long as no one infringes on other ppl's rights, i'm game. i don't want someone telling me where i can't pray, just as non-believers don't want someone forcing them to look at the 10 commandments. (which, i honestly, don't see a big deal with......but ya know.)

10 points to whoever takes the "10 commandment" comment and RUNS with it!!!! :)

I don't really take the religion of a candidate into consideration. I prefer to focus on the issues. But I would have a hard time voting for a candidate who was "advertising" his or her religion or making an issue of their opponents religion.
I think a lot of political candidates feel compelled to say they belong to a particular religion even if they don't practice, just because they don't want religion to be an issue in the campaign.

Gonna be a hard decision on the presidential election, huh? Both sides have over-played their religious beliefs, me thinks.

Everyone has good things to say.

My concern isn't with the President, judges, or even Senators. I got about 40 flyers in the mail for my hometown election (I'm not in a party, so I can only vote for things like Tax Collector or Supervisor of Elections). Even those candidates felt the need to mention what church they went to. THAT'S what bothered me, not that they were men of faith.

How does tax assessment or vote counting have anything to do with religion?

hmmmm, that is weird that offices that are perceived as being "lower" have canidates running around announcing their religious beliefs. the only reason i can think of, from the way you described the area, is that religion tends to be important to most people. the canidates may feel that they can sway some voters by saying i am an xyz believer.

as far as my opinion, i don't believe that religion should be an important part of a person's campaign. the reason is that no matter what religion they are, they do not represent everyone in their "area." i would never base my vote on what religion someone is, but i would not vote for someone who was overly religious- regardless of which religion.