Faith: October 2016 Archives
Constitution of the State of Sequoyah
In 1905, delegates from across Indian Territory met to draft a constitution for the proposed State of Sequoyah, incorporating the land of the Five Civilized Tribes and the Quapaw Agency. Many of the leaders in this constitutional convention, including Charles Haskell and Alfalfa Bill Murray, would go on to lead the drafting of Oklahoma's constitution soon thereafter, producing a strong resemblance between the two documents in length and subject matter.
One interesting aspect: The Sequoyah Constitution forbids the government from funding religious organizations, but it also invokes "the blessing of Almighty God" in the preamble, mandates that "Sunday[] shall forever be respected as a day of rest" and forbids public office to anyone "who denies the existence of a Supreme Being."
Constitution of the State of Sequoyah
In 1905, delegates from across Indian Territory met to draft a constitution for the proposed State of Sequoyah, incorporating the land of the Five Civilized Tribes and the Quapaw Agency. Many of the leaders in this constitutional convention, including Charles Haskell and Alfalfa Bill Murray, would go on to lead the drafting of Oklahoma's constitution soon thereafter, producing a strong resemblance between the two documents in length and subject matter.
One interesting aspect: The Sequoyah Constitution forbids the government from funding religious organizations, but it also invokes "the blessing of Almighty God" in the preamble, mandates that "Sunday[] shall forever be respected as a day of rest" and forbids public office to anyone "who denies the existence of a Supreme Being."
Karaites, the Jews History Forgot - Tablet Magazine
Sola scriptura Jews: "And since at least the eighth century CE, Karaite Jews across the world have kept to an interpretation of Judaism in which the Bible is taken as the ultimate authority on religious practice. Long centered in Egypt, Turkey, and Crimea, Karaites will consider the insights of the Oral Law, but they don't accept their rulings as binding, and outright reject rabbinic traditions that contradict the plain meaning of scriptural verses.... In some ways, the Karaites still live in the mind-set of the Talmud, where each scholar can consider and establish law according to his own understanding of the Bible. A Karaite motto, quoted in much of their literature, is: 'Search scripture well, and don't rely on my opinion.' This doesn't make it a total free-for-all--like rabbinic Jews, Karaites derive law from scripture according to their own traditions, scholars, and standards of legal interpretation. They just don't think man's word can ever override the written word of God."
