Monday, December 15, 2008

Congress Shall Make No Law, a play in one act

[hat tip to PZ]
Here is my new play, Congress Shall Make No Law: A comedic tragedy, or tragic comedy. I hope you all enjoy it.

CAST OF CHARACTERS
ME: Me
1ST AMENDMENT: The first amendment to the United States Constitution
HR487: House Resolution 487

ME: Good morning, First Amendment. Say, would you mind sharing your thoughts with me on religion? Specifically, what do you think the role of the U.S. Congress should play in the establishment of religion?

1ST AMENDMENT: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

ME: I must say, I agree. it's a good thing we have you in place to help protect our government from hijacking by any one religion. Oh, look! HR487 has joined us. I didn't even see you come in! First and I were talking about religion in our government. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?

HR487: Whereas Christmas, a holiday of great significance to Americans and many other cultures and nationalities, is celebrated annually by Christians throughout the United States and the world;

Whereas there are approximately 225,000,000 Christians in the United States, making Christianity the religion of over three-fourths of the American population;

Whereas there are approximately 2,000,000,000 Christians throughout the world, making Christianity the largest religion in the world and the religion of about one-third of the world population;

Whereas Christians and Christianity have contributed greatly to the development of western civilization;

Whereas the United States, being founded as a constitutional republic in the traditions of western civilization, finds much in its history that points observers back to its Judeo-Christian roots;

Whereas on December 25 of each calendar year, American Christians observe Christmas, the holiday celebrating the birth of their savior, Jesus Christ;

Whereas for Christians, Christmas is celebrated as a recognition of God's redemption, mercy, and Grace; and

Whereas many Christians and non-Christians throughout the United States and the rest of the world, celebrate Christmas as a time to serve others: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) recognizes the Christian faith as one of the great religions of the world;

(2) expresses continued support for Christians in the United States and worldwide;

(3) acknowledges the international religious and historical importance of Christmas and the Christian faith;

(4) acknowledges and supports the role played by Christians and Christianity in the founding of the United States and in the formation of the western civilization;

(5) rejects bigotry and persecution directed against Christians, both in the United States and worldwide; and

(6) expresses its deepest respect to American Christians and Christians throughout the world.

SCENE

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you should change the title. It lets the reader know exactly what is going to go on through the entire play. As soon as you see the title you think, "Oh, I get it, okay." and then you move on.

Change the title so the reader doesn't know what to expect. A play full of cleverness is more valuable than a play that depends on the cleverness of its title.

Just some advice from a fellow playwrite.

NS
http://sciencedefeated.wordpress.com/

Michelle said...

Nice.