Yes, a homeless shelter would be worthwhile…..

I have a friend who bought a church with the intention of making it a place where humanists could meet up. He envisions having important speakers and debates and other secular activities. Covid happened a few weeks after his purchase, so it is still not up and running. Here is a link for churches for sale if anyone is interested. [specialfinds.com]

I know some places have put restrictions on what you can do with former churches. Can't turn it into a bar or brewery.

What religious policy is a law we need to change?

@Alienbeing Abortion and gay marriage spring to mind. All polls support these, it is mostly the religious right that does not. So there is no mandate, yet there you are.

@273kelvin Exactly.

@Alienbeing. "IN GOD WE TRUST" on currency, in courtrooms, and other places. These are a direct violation of separation of church/state.

@273kelvin There is no Federal law against abortion. Some States do have restrictions. NOWHERE in the USA is Gay marriage illegal.

Apparently you are not familiar with U.S. laws.

@ThinkingFree I agree with you that "In God we Trust" is not Constitutional. However, did you know that an Atheist organization brought Federal suit to have the motto deleted, but the Supreme Court said it was OK because it's use had evolved into nothing more than a slogan?

The ruling was made a long time ago, so don't blame it on the current Court.

@Alienbeing "There is no Federal law against abortion"...yet. Watch this space if GOP gets their way.
There are state laws against abortion because you just removed federal protection of the right. Also you only just agreed to states having to recognise gay marriage (before that it was unlawful in some states) but no absolute right to marry in your own state. There is a difference between illegal and unlawful. Both of these ignorant/backward sets of laws would not be there if not for religious nut jobs.

@273kelvin I see you like to wiggle. You said "Abortion and gay marriage spring to mind." now you amend that by saying "There is no Federal law against abortion"...yet. Watch this space if GOP gets their way."

Notice you originally said abortion and gay marriage spring to mind but when corrected you don't acknowledge your errors; you go on to predict that eventually you will be correct.

You again prove you know nothing about U.S. laws or customs. I'll help you a little. To make abortion illegal on a Federal level would require a Constitutional Amendment, because if Republicans tried to do it with a law, that law would eventually be ruled unconstitutional because the Supreme Court already Ruled the Constitution is silent on abortion.

On gay marriage, the Supreme Court has spoken it is legal, so again any attempt to make it illegal would require a Constitutional Amendment.

Constitutional Amendments are VERY hard to get, and since part of the process is that 66% of all State legislature must ratify any proposed Amendment, it is clearly impossible for either an anti-abortion or anti gay marriage amendment to become law.

Last, even Ruth Bader Ginsberg said she thought the Roe v Wade Ruling was incorrect. The fact is ur Constitutin is silent on abortion. Therefore your statement saying There are state laws against abortion because you just removed federal protection of the right" is incorrect because it was never a "Right".

Your comment about gay marriage is clearly wrong considering the fact that the Supreme Court ruling saying that laws gay marriage are unconstitutinal makes gay marrige legal in ALL States.

Obviously you need much more information because you illustrate considerably ignorance.

@Alienbeing Okay smartass at what point in my original comment did I mention federal law? YOU were the one that made THAT distinction NOT I. Also, I think you need to inform yourself about the difference between illegal and unlawful. For example, in Florida, it is illegal to obtain an abortion after 8 weeks but it is unlawful to marry someone of the same sex. That does not mean that Florida does not recognise same-sex marriages from other states (as they are federally obliged to do). Still, any marriages performed in that state would be unlawful and therefore invalid.
And I don't care whose opinion you quote, it is a fact that most Americans are pro-choice and pro-gay marriage (even in the states that ban them). So, neither of these state laws would be there if not for religion.

@Alienbeing. Was it Freedom From Religion Foundation ? I wondered about that.

@273kelvin Well not so smart ass, ALL the comments I made apply equally to ALL State laws.

PLEASE continue to show you have NO clue of the subject but will continue to mouth off.

You OBVIOUSLY don't know that Federal Law voids any State law where there is a conflict. IF (and I don't think it does) Florida has a statute that makes same sex marriage law "unlawful" that law was rendered void when our Supreme Court made gay marriage legal.

You are an excellent example of a fool. You want to argue U.S. law with a U.S. Attorney when you have NO legal background. By the way, unlawful is illegal, so thanks for showing your ignorance once again.

In closing, I point out that you AGAIN show ignorance when you said "And I don't care whose opinion you quote, it is a fact that most Americans are pro-choice and pro-gay marriage (even in the states that ban them)." First, while the majority of Americans favor abortion with restrictions (you forgot to mention restrictions) it is irrelevant what "most" want. The U.S. is a Republic, NOT a Democracy at the Federal level. Our Senate is a perfect example of a non-Democratic institution because each State gets 2 Senators, irrspective of population. Hence California (the most populous State) has no more say in the Senate than Wyoming (the least populaous State. Numerous other examples are available.

Get an education on U.S.l laws, then perhaps you will at least sound as if you know what you are talking about.

@ThinkingFree No that was a separate ruling, but probably set the stage for the ruling in question.

@Alienbeing Okay, the origional comment by you was "What religious policy is a law we need to change?" You did not specify federal or state law just "what religious policy is a law". I correctly pointed to abortion and gay marriage, which banned and unlawful respectivly in some states mainly because of religious lobbists. Or do you maintain that these laws would have magically enacted themselves absent of any religious pressure? That the 3 alt-right Christian SCOTUS appointed by Trump would have perjured themselves at their confirmation hearings if they were atheists?
The fact is that America is alone amongst western democracies in rolling back the rights and freedoms of its citizens because of religious lobbying. Oh and yes I do know that the US ofA is a republic. You do not have to point out the stacked deck the founding fathers made of the senate in order to keep slave owning states in the game. (Not something I would crow about but hey ho)

@273kelvin Your refusal to admit error does not make you correct. I repeat in NO U.S. State is either abortion or gay marriage illegal. As I said, if, by chance any State Statute conflicts with that statement, then that Statute is null and void. Therefore the third sentence of your latest reply is AGAIN WRONG!

The question in your forth sentence is inoperable because NO SUCH LAWS EXIST ANYMORE, even if the Statute has not been removed from any State law.

The last sentence of your first paragraph is UNRELATED to the conversation, however I will say it does appear the Justices in question did perjure themselves.

The assumption that we are a Republic because Founding Fathers wanted savery AGAIN PROVES you don't know what you are talking about. We are a Republic because the at the time of Independence smaller States were afraid that larger States would make them irrelevant. Among the larger States who did not want the Senate comprised as it is was Virginia, it was a lag=rger State. It was also a slave owning State and later Capital of the Confederacy. Conversely all smaller Northern States wanted a Republic.

THANK YOU AGAIN for proving you don't know what you are talking about.

@Alienbeing Well if you count only illegal after 8 weeks as legal then you win but cling to the pyrrhic victory as your country slides into fascist Christian nationalism.
Question; Can you marry someone of the same sex in Florida? Y/N Note I am not asking if gay marriage is recognised in Florida, just can you marry there?
Oh, and the slave-owning states has fewer citizens because slaves were only counted as 3/5 of a person. Therefore 2 senators per state evened things out. Same reason they split Virginia, Carolina and Dakota, it gave more power to rural/right-wing states

@273kelvin Once again THANKS for clearly illustrating you have no clue! There is NO chance that we will slide into Christian fascism. Church attendance here is down, & churches are closing.

YES one can arrange a gay marriage in FL. Are you still confused regarding the fact that Federal Law superceeds State Law at ALL times?

Last thanks even once AGAIN ignorant display of U.S. history. No, slave ownng States did not have fewer citizens because of the 3/5th compromise on counting enslaved people. First, population only counts in our House of Representatives and has nothing to do with the Senate. The 3/5ths ONLY counted in determining the number of House reps. Second, the only future States that were considered "big" were NY, PA, and VA. All the other future States (North & South) were concerned the aforementioned three States would effectivly rule if we were to be a pure Democracy.

Your have become the gift that keeps on giving.

Many old churches don't make good sense for housing and for heating. Could be good for other social events.

And the more the moderates leave, the more the churches are left in the hands of the crazies. Which of course drives even more moderates away, leaving..........ect. etc.