requiring church attendance

[Laudate_Dominum]

I wonder if Sunday Mass attendence can be said to be mandatory based on the law of the state for those who live in the Vatican City State. :

[popestpiusx]

[quote name='Laudate_Dominum' date='Sep 26 2005, 07:31 AM']I wonder if Sunday Mass attendence can be said to be mandatory based on the law of the state for those who live in the Vatican City State. :
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Not sure. If not, it should be. It would be the only way to get some of those red hats to go to Mass.

[Aloysius]

I believe the official law of Vatican City (aside from a couple small documents regarding the operation of itself as a sovereign city-state) is Canon Law, and as such, yes a bona fide citizen of Vatican City is required by law to attend mass every sunday.

now... most citizens of the Vatican are some form of priest, so that's not really a STRETCH for them... they must not only go but they must SAY mass every sunday and probably do it every day.

[Guest]

ya that would be great
a goverment that "MADE" you go to church
so who cares about freedome of religion and all that good stuff
just force people go to church or arrest them......ya thats real God like
im sure jesus would back that

[CatholicAndFanatical]

I think Cam just likes to argue

[popestpiusx]

[quote name='CatholicAndFanatical' date='Sep 27 2005, 12:41 PM']I think Cam just likes to argue
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Ya think?

[Anastasia13]

[quote name='scardella' date='Jul 5 2005, 10:03 AM']Is participation in its services a necessary and proper function of religion?  What about anti-religion?

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It is the proper action for the religion described in the Bible, unless by participation, you mean one working in church service through something they do in the service as opposed to only an attendee/worshipper. Hopefully you understand what I mean. As for anti-relgion, if they gathered for services, I think that would practically be a religion.

If it is mandated by law, then it's too easy for it to become just actions, going through the motions without the faith and heart interation in worship. Without right understanding, they might even believe that they are saved when they are not.

[quote name='popestpiusx' date='Sep 26 2005, 05:28 AM']The original question does not even specify a religion.
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You want atheists to gather and discuss anti-God arguments every Sunday? That requires that questions of when services would be attended and how it would be monitored. Also what classifies as a religious service and that is one to the ways that people could take part in religious discrimination (legally/socially). If there is not church or whatever for what they believe such as is the case in some places for a subgroup of Mormons then they would be forced to compromise their faith not because of conscience but because of law. And what if someone’s religion does not have group worship? Would you want to attend a service for a religion that you did not agree with, even one that you might not be able to participate in as anything more than an attendee? If there must be a public accountability for attendance, and if services of some religious groups are not counted as “religions,” then that runs the risk of things like state-churches that China has. If there is something like that, then it is not inconceivable that in a country that had Japanese concentration camps and so many people who were afraid after 9/11 that great persecution of many Muslim groups would happen. Love would show Christ better than arresting people because they believe differently.

[quote name='dspen2005' date='Jul 5 2005, 01:59 PM']the requirement by civil law for one to attend sunday church services would make religion pharisaical.... a mere legal chore that every citizen must perform, rather than a moral assertion, statement of belief, or an active moral judgement....
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I doubt I could have said that much better myself. Exactly right dspen2005.

[quote name='popestpiusx' date='Sep 26 2005, 05:28 AM']So the question could refer to a law that requires one to attend a church service of some sort, much like a law once on the books in the commonwealth of Virginia.[right][snapback]737640[/snapback][/right]
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If that is like what I read on [url="http://www.virtualjamestown.org/rlaws.html"]http://www.virtualjamestown.org/rlaws.html[/url], I would worry that piety would be replaced with taxes.

That would tie up the Supreme court with so many cases.

1st ammendment: [u]Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,[/u] or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Edited September 30, 2005 by Light and Truth

[popestpiusx]

[quote name='Light and Truth' date='Sep 30 2005, 03:11 PM']

1st ammendment:  [u]Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,[/u] or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
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The first amendment does not pertain to individual states (and no I don't buy into the b.s. incorporation theory). Look at the first word: CONGRESS. The first amendment places a restriction on the federal government. Individual states can have (and in fact several have had) established state religions. From the legal standpoint there is no problem with that, though modern legal theory (manipulated of course by the power usurping courts) refuses to acknoledge this.

For the record, I don't think it is a good idea, from a prudential standpoint , for the state to make a law demanding church attendance. The enforcement of it would be an expensive disaster and would be plagued by some of the problems you mention in your post.