Community Chat

[occasionalrain]

No mention of religious leaders. None. They were omitted for a reason, Separation of Church  and State.

[cherry]

Foreign dignitaries.” of which the Pope is one

[cherry]

As a mark of respect for the memory of Reverend Billy Graham,

I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America,

that on the day of his interment, the flag of the United States shall be flown at half‑staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset on such day.  I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty‑first day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-second.

DONALD J. TRUMP

[suzyQ3]

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@chrystaltreewrote:

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@occasionalrainwrote:

What happened to:

Separation of Church and State

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      It still exists.  I believe this first ever honor is to recognize the man who served as spritual (not religious) advisor to every president since Truman to the present.  He was respected and admired by people of all faiths and spoke out against segregation in the early days of the Civil Rights Movement.  It's to honor a great American.

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@chrystaltree, as a passionate believer in our separation of church and state, I think that you make a very cogent and compelling point. I might not be in total agreement, but I appreciate it.

To those who say that you can't separate the person from his or her religion, I'd counter that we absolutely must do that when it comes anything sanctioned by the State. One must set aside his or her own personal beliefs in order to serve this country according to law.

[cherry]

FLYING THE FLAG AT HALF-STAFF: The pertinent section of the Flag Code says,

"by order of the President, the flag shall be flown at half-staff

upon the death of principal figures of the United States Government and the Governor of a State, territory, or possesion, as a mark of respect to their memory. In the event of the death of other officials or foreign dignitaries, the flag is to be displayed at half-staff

according to Presidential orders, or in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with law.

In the event of the death a present or former official of the government of any State, territory, or possession of the United States, the Governor of that state, territory, or possession may proclaim that the National flag shall be flown at half-staff."

The code also includes other related details including the specific length of time during which the flag should be displayed at half-staff, in the event of the death of a "principal figure"(e.g., 30 days for the death of a sitting or former President, 10 days for the death of a sitting Vice-President,etc.).

[cimeranrose]

I'll probably regret this because I usually stay clear of these kinds of threads, but, in the hopes of contributing to this discussion (and I hope we can keep it civil), here are some thoughts.

We all have the Constitution on our side, thank goodness. Nowhere in the Constitution are the words "separation of Church and State" - it doesn't have to becaue the United States does not have an official state religion. Article 1 states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."  We can thank our Founding Fathers for creating a nation where we are free to be a member of any religion we want (or not).

I agree with this quote: "I think religious freedom was first in the First Amendment, along with freedom of speech, because it was the fundamental reason for this continent being inhabited by colonists who came from Europe who had experienced, many of them, religious persecution from a variety of sources. But it was a motivation for their being here. And similarly, freedom of speech was a motivation because there was a history of suppressing people, punishing people for the opinions they held and the things they said..."

I agree with @cherry - Rev. Graham is being honored as a respected member of this country for many years. No one is asking anyone fo adhere to his religion. We are free to adhere to the religion of our choice, or, free not to adhere to a religion. I am very thankful to live in a country where I can worship freely.

The President of the United States is authorized to order the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff.