From: alarm@yabbs
To: pixy@yabbs
Subject: re: whoopteedoo
Date: Mon Jul 25 19:44:39 1994
pixy,
I think that I probably respond to more or your posts than anyone else's. 
I guess it's because you present the most interesting arguments. I agree 
with your thought:
>The renewed religious reactionary movement in America threatens the 
>integrity of the Constitution and religion itself...

I would like to take this as an opportunity to present my view as to why 
it is a misguided effort. As a follower of Jesus my motivation and 
reasoning will be different than your's, but our conclusions are quite 
similar.

Short history lesson. Many years ago one of the Roman Emporers was 
converted - enter Constantine. With Constantine came the mixing of the 
state and the church. Those who were born into the empire were thereby 
automatically born into the church. --Heresy in the New Testament-- Ever 
since that time, most of the church has viewed itself as having some sort 
of relationship with the state. When the Reformation came great strides 
were made in reforming the church, but Constantinian Christianity 
remained, except withing the Radical arm of the reformation. These 
radicals were called Anabaptists because they re-baptized adults. Both the 
Catholics and the reformers hated and killed the Anabaptists. In America 
today there has been great strides to separate church from state. The 
state certainly wants to quell the religious influences, but unfortunately 
much of the church still feels that it has a role in the state. IMO it is 
the Constantinian compromise that is misleading both the religious right 
and the religious left in this country. One is trying to make the state 
like the church and the other is trying to make the church like the state.

Solution: The church today needs to look back to the Biblical Anabaptists 
like the Swiss Bretheren and the Mennonites, and the later movement in 
England of Baptists. These and many others can all be called by the same 
name "Believers' Church." The Believers' Church believes that only those 
who believe should be members of the church and those who are in the 
church do not compromise with the state. We support peace and oppose war. 
Many of the atrocities of the church such as the religious wars and the 
crusades came about because of the Constantinian compromise.

There's more, but that's enough for now.
  sounding the 
     alarm