Church and State: Separate but Equal?
by L. Tyler Hains
Ever since I have been old enough to be concious of it, the phrase
"separation of church and state" has been used to express a viewpoint
that churches should stay out of politics, and that people involved in
politics should keep their religious beliefs them to
themselves. Unfortunately, this has lead to a "separate but equal"
state where the religious have become the lesser of the two
equals.
I would argue that politics and religion are the same. They are
both an expression of belief. Thus it is impossible to truly separate
them. The portion of our beliefs we see as "religious" are merely our
private morals while the "political" portion are our beliefs that we
believe to be more universally held. It is one's beliefs that makes
them Democrat or Republican, just as it is their beliefs that makes
them Atheist or Baptist. Although a person may think of himself or
herself as separately a Catholic and a Democrat, there is rarely a
clear dividing line between their Catholic beliefs and their Democrat
beliefs.
In fact political parties and church organizations serve many of
the same purposes in their parallel domains. They exist to organize
and strengthen their members, and to pursue the goals of the
organizations. The leaders tend to be people who feel strongly about
the shared beliefs and feel that they can help the organization reach
its goals. Both types of organizations also try to gain new members by
various forms of procelytizing.
There are a few important differences. Most churches claim to
receive their direction from God, and while political parties judge
their success by power over the masses, religions tend to judge
success by individuals.
It is for these reasons that the separate but equal idea was
created. It would be far too easy for the lines between churches and
political parties to blur and merge. If that were to happen, you would
have the zealousness of religion mixed with a man-made, money driven
political system. This is a very bad combination — ever heard of the
Inquisition? Not only that, but it reduces an individual's religious
freedom. Can you imagine if our choices of religion were as limited as
our choices of political parties?
There are numerous bits of cultural evidence for how closely
churches resemble political parties. Many people belong to churches
where they do not believe everything the church teaches. Often they
feel they should be able to vote and change the way a church is run. I
don't recall Moses asking for a ratifying vote for the 10
commandments. Additionally, it has become "politically incorrect" to
say, "I believe you are wrong," when it comes to religion. Isn't it
the point of religion to seek out eternal truths, regardless of what
others around you believe? If someone holds beliefs that do not mesh
with the church they belong to, they are usually better off to find a
church that has teachings closer to their own beliefs.
Unfortunately, many people in modern society equate religion with
culture or family, and would prefer to live in quiet disbelief of
their church's teachings, becoming less involved in their church, and
often in religion in general. They do not attend church regularly, and
on the rare occasions when they do attend, it is often out of a sense
of duty to family.
On top of that trend, politics often forces members of a church to
repress their beliefs even more for the sake of "political
correctness." Often individuals are forced to put party loyalty before
personal beliefs. By succumbing to party pressure to vote a particular
way, personal beliefs become less valued. Regular people are also
influenced by political correctness. When something is morally
controversial, churches and politicians often find themselves on
opposite sides of the fence. Then, citizens who might not have strong
beliefs one way or the other often choose to go with the political, to
avoid appearing overly "controlled" by their religion.
These two powerful forces work against one's devotion to one's
religion. While this is generally an individual issue, when enough
people in a single church undervalue their beliefs because of politics
in this way, the church itself becomes diluted, and as more churches
are diluted and their beliefs undervalued, religion in general becomes
more diluted. As religion becomes diluted, people start forgetting the
crucial role religion plays in civilized society. The United States
was founded upon the basic principles of Christianity. If, at some
point, there are no longer enough people willing to stand up for and
protect those fundamental principles, the foundation of the United
States will crumble. The rich will become the aristocrats, and we will
be left with pure capitalism — at best, anarchy at worst.
Not only is it possible for religion and politics to co-exist, but
it is essential. The trick is finding the balance. We cannot deny
religion a part in politics and claim balance. We must consider all
beliefs, religious and political, equal. We should pick our religions
at least as carefully as we pick our political candidates and
parties. And finally, questions on individual religious beliefs should
be a standard part of the election process. To elect someone without
knowing their religious beliefs is to elect someone you only
half-know.
The role of religion is to help define morals for society. Trying
to take religion out of politics is equivalent to trying to take
morals out of politics. Beware of those who would do so, conciously or
otherwise.
Separation of church and state is based on a Christian
principle: agency or free will. God gave humankind the ability to make
choices for themselves. Choice of religion is one of the most
important choices a person can make, and the Founding Fathers knew
what it was like when an entire government was controlled by members
of a single church. It was not religion's influence in government that
they feared, but control of the government by a single sect.
I am proud to say that my Mormon beliefs play a large part in
my political decisions. However, not every political issue is a
religious one, so I often vote differently than other members of my
church. If a Mormon candidate comes along in my voting area, I will
probably vote for them because I know we share very similar
beliefs.
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