Seperation Of Church and State

This is a topic of extra credit for my Globlal history class, but i just wanted to hear opinions on this subject.

Examples of decrepinscies(sp?):
Pledge Of Allegiance(wow im bad at spelling today)
Abortion
Gay Marriage
Getting Sworn in (in court)
The 10 commandments outside of courthouses
The use of 'Under God' on Money

I DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR OPINIONS:
That deal with whether or not you believe these topics are right/wrong, etc.

I WANT TO KNOW:
How you think the government should handle these problems, and how the Church has power where it suppossedly shouldnt, and how much you think should be linked.

How you think the government should handle these problems, and how the Church has power where it suppossedly shouldnt, and how much you think should be linked.

Hey there,

I am strongly opposed to the church, or any religion having anything to do with the politics of the world. This is mainly because politics is far more evolved in it's ideas and the evolution of those ideas, than any religion can be. Religion just can't keep up with the constant changes and needs of a modern society, particularly when it's origins in many cases date back to Era's where the politics of the times where barbaric by our standards.

Also, political ideas within a country should apply and be relevant and beniificial to everyone within that country regardless of their race, sexual preference or religion. Religious ideas do not tick all these boxes, as they only benifit and apply to those who meet the divine standards of whichever faith you look at.

So, freedom of expression, which is a basic human right which is in theory upheald by the politics of most western countries, would not be accepted if religion was more heavily involved with the formation of such rights. Gay people for example would not be free to express their sexuality, religions other than they one in power politically would suffer as well.

These are some simple reasons why i think church and state should remain as far apart as possible.

That being said, religion is a decent morality checker point for science and some political ideas....but it shouldn't influence policy and practice...which if you are following the "intelligent design Vs Evolution" debate right now in the US, you can see it does.

Scary.

I can't put it much better than kevin did, religion=exclusive, politics=inclusive. The government works on a basis of serving everybod yaccording to the freedoms everybody has, atleast we try to in the US. Religion runs on governing people according to the beliefs and the standards of a few that don't allow everybody the same freedoms. However, this is not to say, like Kevin pointed out, that moral awareness gets thrown out. Because moral awareness must be as much a part of our government as freedom. However, the confusion gets put in place when people start using their own religious interpretations of books such as the Bible, the Koran, and the Tora. On the other hand, I do believe that parts of these books should be implemented into the educational system everywhere due to their importance. hey are more than just religious texts, they are books of wisdom. They can impart wisdom to people, just like any good piece of literaure, and they can raise moral awareness and standards to live without being exclusive and religious. Overall point Religion and church don't mix with state, but moral awareness must go hand in hand.

Wow. atleast im not the only one to think so strongly on this!

And thank you for not bombarding me with -Abortion is wrong and gay marriage is a sin so it shouldn't be legal!!!- crud.

Now:

how do you think the government should go about changing these problems so as to where there isnt a huge revolt and problems?

Ps: i spelled separation wrong.. didnt i?

I do not wish to offend the serious tone of this discussion, but I cannot resist quoting George Carlin "I am a firm believer in the separation of church and state. Either of these institutions can screw you up badly enough own their own."

The ideal Church or State in my opinion would reflect a unity in diversity
I cannot offer a simple solution to the problem of unity. If there is an objective way to make everyone agree on an issue I would be glad to conform to it, because that could result in the abolishment of the separation between God and church.

The pledge of Allegiance to one nation under God might lead a non-bias interpreter of history to conclude it was not the intention of the framers of the constitution to separate God from the states.

Many may find it increasingly difficult to be committed to an institution and remain in the state of grace

The moral issue of when we can ethically destroy a human life, or determine when life begins, is a good example of how subjective human dignity is

Many of the people that are not committed to the laws of the constitution are forced into human zoos called prisons. As for civil unions it seems a bit harsh to place people in jail for desiring to be committed to an institution that many heterosexuals seem to abuse

Atheism is a religion especially when it is religiously offended by opposing belief systems. Tolerance is a virtue. To those who are dogmatic about the Ten Commandments, I would like to point out that freedom is a right that law-abiding citizens enjoy. A just spiritual path has freed many. It is the truth that sets us free, but you may have a problem convincing some politicians or lawyers of that.

Religion and politics are two very different things- and I don't think that they should overlap in any way, however, it's somewhat unavoidable. Back 'in the day', government basically went hand in hand with religion. It would be hard to break apart from that.