Patters

I like this new law, and I like the ban on Burkas (as well as large crosses and yarmulkes) in schools. I also like the fact that the French only allowed the Notre Dame church (the magnificent church in the heart of Paris) and other churches to stay as the property of the church if they would open it up as a public tourist attraction. Thus, the French don't single out one religion over another; they are simply trying to protect their common values and the separation of church and state.

France bans street prayers | Reuters

A French ban on praying in the street came into force on Friday, driving thousands of Muslim worshippers in northern Paris into a makeshift prayer site in a disused fire brigade barracks, angering a small but vocal minority.

The street-prayer ban has highlighted France's problems assimilating its 5-million-strong Muslim community, which lacks prayer space, and follows a long-running controversy, fanned by far-right leader Marine Le Pen, over Muslims forced to lay their prayer mats on the streets in big cities.

Interior Minister Claude Gueant directed Muslims in Paris to temporary spaces made available pending the building of a huge new prayer space and warned that force would be used if necessary as police end their tolerance of street prayers.

Seven months before a presidential election, the ban has struck some in France as an attempt to rally far-right sympathizers to President Nicolas Sarkozy's center-right camp.

Wolfpack

If we ever tried to pass such a law here, it's people like you who would be the first to scream bloody murder. You know why? Well here's a hint: There's only one religion I can think of where you may see someone on the knees praying right then and there in the middle of the street.

Here's another hint: This religion isn't Christianity of Judaism.
Gee, Patters, thanks for explaining to us all what Notre Dame is.

I shore does wish I visited Pair-ee! Maybe's then I wood know whut that big huge pointy like tower thing done be called!

Patters

No, people like me would not scream bloody murder, though there would be a coalition of religious conservatives and liberals who would.

I don't presume to think that everyone knows that Notre Dame is a particularly special church in Paris.

Mrs.PatsFanInVa

I thought it was a school in Indiana.

chicowalker

Why wouldn't you?

I'm not sure what goes on with prayer in France, but if the people aren't obstructing others, why shouldn't they be permitted to pray on the street?

This goes for people of every religion. I may think the folks wandering around talking about salvation, preaching from the bible, etc. are a bit delusional, but they have every right to do it in our country.

Patters

I think wandering around preaching is one thing, but occupying a public space is quite another. I believe in our our country, people generally need some sort of permit to congregate in a public space. I don't think the French law is intended to ban an individual from privately praying in a park; it's intended to ban a group of people from blocking sidewalks with prayer events.

wistahpatsfan

Well they might not be exactly praying, but I'd rather they did pray instead of this goofy *****:

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

sdaniels7114

So why not call it a ban on blocking the sidewalk?

Funny, I'm an atheist and at least a little arrogant about it and I'd be 100% against doing that here in the USA.

__________________
Give a man a gun and he can rob a bank, give a man a bank and he can rob everyone.

wistahpatsfan

Oh wait:



"...Well here they are, at the Wall Street bull statue thing, praying to Jesus for money. The dingbat has explained, “We are going to intercede at the site of the statue of the bull on Wall Street to ask God to begin a shift from the bull and bear markets to what we feel will be the ‘Lion’s Market,’ or God’s control over the economic systems.” Don’t they know that God taking over the economic systems would be SOCIALISM from SPACE? Also: God will be very mad that they are worshiping a bronze idol here, since his second commandment PROHIBITS THAT, duh?"

Jesus People Pray That False Idol Will Save God’s Economy

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

chicowalker

if that's what's happening, I agree with you