Separation of Church and State

The United States was founded on many principles, one key principle being freedom of religion. The US Government shall not impede the free practice of religious beliefs. That does not mean the US Government shall promote any one religious belief, despite the fact that over 95% of Americans are Christians.

"Separation of Church and State" - One of the more interesting concepts upon which our country was, supposedly, founded. In actuality, it merely refers to a passage in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson, but the idea caught on and was popularized into our system of government. Again, in principle, it is a great idea.

Unfortunately our application of this concept is far from perfect. If we were to truly separate church and state, I firmly belive many of our contemporary problems would be severely reduced and perhaps eliminated entirely. Here are some examples:

1. Stem Cell research. I've blogged about this before. The problems arise here when our government supports with funding the use of human embryos for research. Some folks believe that this is killing. It is part of their religion. If Chuch and State were truly separate, this debate would not be taking place this way. See my other blog for more.

2. Gay Marriage. What a rat-hole! The very question "Do you support Gay Marriage?" is a trap. It is the very formulation of that question that is in error. IF you allow yourself to answer, you have already lost the argument (not to mention missed the point). The very use of the term "MARRIAGE" in the context of any government-related activity (e.g. getting a "marriage license") is the root of the fundamental problem here. The exact same term, "marriage", is used by both the Church and the State, but they mean distinctly different things. The Catholic Church (as one example) defines "marriage" as a "union under God between a man and a woman". Period. The State defines "marriage" in a way as to ensure certain legal protections and civil and legal rights. These are NOT the same things. Thus the problem. This is a simply case of an "overloaded" term. IF Church and State were truly separate, we would use different terms for each function, and the problem would be solved. For example, we could call the RELIGIOUS UNION between a man and a woman, sanctioned by their respective church, as "MARRIAGE". Then, we could call the CIVIL UNION between two people, as specified by GOVERNMENTAL LAW, as "UNION", or some other acceptable term. The church has their activity, sanctioned by the church, with their own licenses, etc., and the government has theirs. PROBLEM SOLVED.

As you can see, if we truly had a clear, concise, crisp separation between Chuch and State, things would be simpler, and there would be less conflict. Why do our religious leaders and politicians let this continue? I'm not sure; perhaps we should ask them.

Perhaps our political leaders don't want this severe a separation. Perhaps they are not comprehending the true principle here. For, although we absolutely need and require adequate separation between Church and State, we will never achieve (nor should we pursue) separation between Religion and Politics. These concepts are, although related, distinctly different.

My opinion is that it's a combination of ego, stubborness, thick-headedness, and ignorance. The things that can be blamed for most of the problems in the world. Let's face it: "making the world a better place" is simply not the highest thing on most peoples goal sheets these days. We all have our own agendas. Sad, but true.