Scalia Invokes 'Devil Worshippers' While Defending Government Prayer
"What about devil worshippers?" Scalia said, to laughs in the chamber.
The jurist, a devout Catholic, defended a practice by a town in New York named Greece of holding prayers during open board meetings, arguing that citizens have a right to free exercise of religion. He argued that it's not a plausible to require that a prayer satisfy everyone's beliefs.
"What is the equivalent of prayer for someone who is not religious?" Scalia said. "There are many people who do not believe in God. ... If you had an atheist [town] board, you would not have any prayer. I guarantee you."
Scalia recently told New York magazine in an interview that he believes in the devil. "Of course! Yeah, he’s a real person," the justice said. "In the Gospels, the Devil is doing all sorts of things. He’s making pigs run off cliffs, he’s possessing people and whatnot. And that doesn’t happen very much anymore."
The justices tested the parameters of legislative prayer on Wednesday but roundly expressed skepticism that the town's practice was unconstitutional. The challengers, who do not believe in God, contend that the practice violates their First Amendment rights.
The case is Town of Greece, New York v. Galloway.
The jurist, a devout Catholic, defended a practice by a town in New York named Greece of holding prayers during open board meetings, arguing that citizens have a right to free exercise of religion. He argued that it's not a plausible to require that a prayer satisfy everyone's beliefs.
"What is the equivalent of prayer for someone who is not religious?" Scalia said. "There are many people who do not believe in God. ... If you had an atheist [town] board, you would not have any prayer. I guarantee you."
Scalia recently told New York magazine in an interview that he believes in the devil. "Of course! Yeah, he’s a real person," the justice said. "In the Gospels, the Devil is doing all sorts of things. He’s making pigs run off cliffs, he’s possessing people and whatnot. And that doesn’t happen very much anymore."
The justices tested the parameters of legislative prayer on Wednesday but roundly expressed skepticism that the town's practice was unconstitutional. The challengers, who do not believe in God, contend that the practice violates their First Amendment rights.
The case is Town of Greece, New York v. Galloway.
May I instead suggest "higher collective consciousness" used with a positive affirmation to set an intention prior to any meetings or events which would serve the higher good of all.
ReplyDeleteThis "higher collective consciousness" term will certainly include everyone, those who are believers of religious dogma, agnostics, atheists, etc., and will represent the higher good of all (The Golden Rule), or the higher collective consciousness of everyone.
Scalia is nothing more than a gullible brainwashed dogmatic idiot who accepts the "mythology" of devils.
ReplyDeleteThe word "devil" and "divinity" grew from the same root, Indo-European devi (Goddess) or deva (God). The Christian devil became a composite of ancient deities. Without a devil there would be no orginial sin, no fall, no hell, no need of a redeemer or a church to induce fear to manipulate and control the masses.
Judeo-Christian tradition attributed many "diabolic" acts to God. God was the sender of pestilence and famine. God created a terrible hell, and its demons, who tortured human souls on his orders.
Devils were often credited with beneficent magic, such as, "maketh men witty, turneth wine into water, and blood into wine, etc., with god-like qualities, superhuman intelligence, profound knowledge of all things. Whatever is not normal is due to the devil.
No Christian was permitted to disbelieve in the devil and his credibility rested on the same foundation as that of God. The very concept of salvation depended on the devil. Hello?