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?
