Separation of church and state is a political and legal doctrine which states
that government and religious institutions are to be kept separate and
independent of one another.
The United States is supposed to be a secular nation. The first amendment states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; ...
From my understanding this means that laws will not be made based on religious beliefs and citizens will have the freedom to practice whatever religion they choose. My issue is with the first part.
If laws are not to be based on religious beliefs, how have the religious affiliations of presidential candidates become a relevant topic? Now I can understand to some extent the question being asked. One's faith can greatly impact the decisions they make in life, and could therefore affect their leadership decisions. I can understand that a person who worships the devil not being elected into office, but I do not feel that an atheist would be accepted as president, and that bothers me. Have there been any presidents in the past who were not Christian? Could you see there being a non-Christian president any time soon?
I must hand it to the Bush administration. They realized the importance of religion to the American public, and they ran with it...and they ran hard. I believe that religion was a huge factor in the re-election of Bush. The majority of Americans (especially conservative Republicans) are Christians, so he repeatedly referred to God in his campaign. Most republicans and many Christians are against gay marriage and are pro-life, and these are two very large reasons they voted for Bush. I know of people (both Republican and Independent) who voted for Bush soley because of their agreement with his views regarding these issues, and that frustrates me so much.
Now I have no problem with someone saying they are pro-life and against gay marriage. It is when they give religious reasons for these views (espeically quotes from the Bible) that bothers me. Let me clarify further by saying that it frustrates me when people give religious reasons for the implementation of laws that govern all Americans. We have to remember that there is not a national or official religion, and therefore, just as the first amendment states, laws should NOT be made based on religious beliefs.
Religion is a topic that I have pondered a lot lately. I will admit that I began to have issues with organized religion after reading the DaVinci Code. I myself was raised as a Christian, so I was very familiar with the historical aspect of the book. It feels sacrilegious of me to question the Church, but how can you not? Historically the Church had political power. Is it unreasonable to believe that, through the hundreds of years that Christianity has existed, there has been corruption? It amazes me how much faith people put in the Bible! It is repeatedly read and studied, and rules the lives of so many people. A youtube video of Penn and Teller about the Bible was brought to my attention. I urge you to watch it with an open mind and just consider what they are saying. As a Christian, you may struggle with it as I did because you are brought up with certain beliefs that you assume to be true. I am not saying I agree with it, or disagree with it. I want you all to watch it, consider it, and give your thoughts.
Faith is a very powerful thing. We cannot be naive and believe that there is no religious leader out there who abuses their position, knowing the power of it. Think of the evangelists on television who get people to send money to them, and the priests who have abused young children. I am certainly not saying all religion is corrupt and devious, but you have to know that in some cases it is.
Religion can also be a very dangerous thing. Each group believes that they are right and all others are wrong. How many wars in history have been based on religion? The very terrorists that threaten our nation today, do so based on their religious beliefs. People are discriminated against, abused, and killed due to religious differences.
Religion used for guidance and strength for an individual is perfectly acceptable. It is when you attempt to use your religion to govern others that causes problems. We as humans are born with an innate sense of what is right and wrong. We do not need religion to tell us this. We are a secular nation of religious tolerance. Remember that, and everything that it means.
What are your thoughts?
10 comments:
Hi, thanks for stopping by my blog. As you know, I agree with everything you've just said.
Keep up the good work! I'll definitely be stopping by again!
There are a great many reasons to be sceptical about organised religion. I'm not sure reading the Da Vinci Code is the best!
My contention would be that the separation of church and state was never as complete in the US as the constitution aspired to. Certainly it is an improvement on the UK, where we have an established church (all be it largely in name only) but American law still derives ultimately from English common law, which developed partially from christian principles.
Oh i definitely know the Da Vinci Code isn't the best source for someone studying organized religion, but it at least got me to start thinking about it.
I did not know the UK had the established church so thank you for that comment chekist. It's excatly the type of perspective I'm looking for.
Just out curiousity, has there ever been a logical SECULAR reason for opposing same-sex marraige? The only reason I ask is because almost every objection - to a fault - I've ever heard stems from good old-fashioned religious bigotry and the 'sancity' of marriage (in a country with drive-thru wedding chapels and 'The Batchelor'? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?).
We've had civil unions legal in New Zealand for a couple of years now and I've yet to see ONE heterosexual marriage that's been 'desecrated' by a couple with his and his matching bathtowels.
Thanks for visiting my page hellbound smoker. I actually plan on writing a post soon on that exact topic which is why i wanted to post this one first. I totally agree with you about not hearing ONE valid argument against same-sex marriage that does not involve some sort of religious reason. And that all comes back to the issue of separation of church and state. I think I will fully post about this topic within the next few days so please come back cause I would love feedback.
Religion and Politics.
Go get 'em!!
The two richest businesses on the planet.
All I see is they create wars and cause hatred between the peoples of the world.
Unfornately there is a lot of truth in that azzitizz...thanks for stopping by. Religion is a tricky thing. It helps so many people in a positive way, but is one of the largest causes of conflict in the world.
The separation of religion and government is paramount ot having a free society. Just seeing how religious fanaticism of a minority in the Middle East is causing so much violence further supports the need for separation. As a pagan who was once Catholic, I want to make sure my rights are protected. The right wing conservative Christians want to impose their brand of belief on everyone. I live in the heart of the Bible Belt and see it here first hand. I have nothing against Christians but will not back down to have my right to worship unencumbered. I was looking at a bumper sticker on a car last week here that said "Every tribe, every city, every nation, or bust." I wondered about the Bust part. It is ok if you want to promote your belief,but if people don't agree? Then what about the "bust" part? Are heads gonna be busted again? Will witches burn? Ok so may that is extreme. However, will those who do not espouse Christianity be second class citizens. We must protect our right to free religion. Actually, many liberal Christians support this view also.
Raven Waldenpond
http://renegade-celtic-hedgewitch.blogspot.com/
I am glad someone finally wrote a blog worth reading and responding to. Your argument, separation of church and state is highly thought-out and effective on stating the issues with our political system. It is funny how presidential candidates in America say things like "God bless America" and basically state how Christian they are, so they can just get votes. Since when your faith have anything to do with executive decisions? If I am correct most wars and conflicts around the globe happen because of one's religion beliefs (The Crusades, slavery, and the wars in the Middle East). For example, the Crusades were sanctioned by the Pope, and during that time Christian's killed thousands of people just because they was not Christian and they had to be cleanse. In my opinion religion leaders are usually the worst leaders because they can be very ignorant when it comes to understanding other people's cultures and belief. So they tend to "fear what they do not understand" and base conflicts on these differences. And people wonder why America always seem to be in the middle of some drama. Well I am getting tired and I must sleep. But I love any topic about religion and urban societies, so who ever wrote this blog keep me posted and anyway who want to debate me on religion "BRING IT ON" GOYA OUT
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts henry...or is it goya? I definitely agree that religion is the cause of most wars. That is what makes it so frustrating.I also think in the past when religious leaders used their position to gain power and land, they used religion as a motive for their "subjects" to band together and fight for them. I believe "gold, glory, and god" was their "motto". By telling people they were fighting for god, leaders could get them to do almost anything they wanted. It's a wonder that people did not stop to think..."hmmm...maybe killing people in the name of god is hypocritical and wrong."
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