Fw: Five Reasons for the Separation of Church and State
----- Original Message -----
From: Zoltan Abraham
To: Carol Wolman
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2005 6:13 PM
Subject: Five Reasons for the Separation of Church and State
Five Reasons for the Separation of Church and State
by Zoltan Abraham
February 28, 2005
I am a Christian. My faith is an important part of my life. However, I do not want the government of my country to get entangled with religion. Why not? For five reasons.
1) The Hijacking of the Church: Christians often think that the more the church is tied to the government, the more the government will act according to Christian principles. But in reality, close ties with religion usually do not change the fundamental behavior of a government. Instead, the leaders of the government can use their connection with religion as a way to justify their actions, no matter how ill-advised, unprincipled, or immoral. The government leaders can say: "We have the blessing of the church. The church is established by God. Therefore, whatever we do is the will of God." Thus, the unjust invasion of another country can be justified as the will of God. Destroying the social infrastructure that helps the poor to survive from day to day can be presented as the will of God. The words of Christianity can be used by the government to support actions and policies that are directly contrary to the teachings of Christ.
2) The Church Loses Its Prophetic Power: An essential element of the mission of Christianity is to challenge continuously the exploitation of the underprivileged, all unjust social structures, all violence. Often this aspect of the Christian mission requires the critiquing or even the condemnation of certain government policies. But how can Christians do that if the church is intertwined with the state? How can the leaders of the church speak out against government policies if they receive government handouts or are even on the government payroll to begin with? Who is going to bite that hand that feeds them?
3) The Church is Used as a Means of Control: Every religion exercises a certain amount of control over its practitioners. If the church were to be a part of the state, the government would make use of the church to mold people’s minds toward complete acceptance of its actions and policies. Objections to the behavior of the state would soon be seen as objections to God. Political dissent would soon become a sin.
4) Church Rules Become Civil Law: Every religion has rules that the practitioners are expected to follow. Some religious groups are more aggressive than others in enforcing their rules on their own members. As long as people agree freely to follow the rules of a particular religion, no one should object. However, no religious group has a right to force a person outside of the group to abide by the rules of the group. To do so would be a fundamental violation of the other person’s conscience. But when a religion becomes incorporated into the state, the specific rules of that religion usually become a part of the law of the land. Thus, a person can be obligated by law to follow religious customs that are contrary to his or her convictions.
5) Theological Dissent Becomes Treason: All persons should have the freedom to express their theological views without the fear of government retaliation. But when a religion becomes a part of the state, any questioning of the doctrines of that religion can be interpreted as treason against the state. Thus, theological inquiry, debate, or dissent can suddenly have serious political consequences. A person might be imprisoned or even put to death for not adhering to the officially sanctioned set of religious beliefs.
The above, then, are my five reasons for firmly supporting the separation of church and state. The authors of the our Constitution understood all this. That is why they sought to keep the church and the state from becoming intertwined.
by Zoltan Abraham
February 28, 2005
I am a Christian. My faith is an important part of my life. However, I do not want the government of my country to get entangled with religion. Why not? For five reasons.
1) The Hijacking of the Church: Christians often think that the more the church is tied to the government, the more the government will act according to Christian principles. But in reality, close ties with religion usually do not change the fundamental behavior of a government. Instead, the leaders of the government can use their connection with religion as a way to justify their actions, no matter how ill-advised, unprincipled, or immoral. The government leaders can say: "We have the blessing of the church. The church is established by God. Therefore, whatever we do is the will of God." Thus, the unjust invasion of another country can be justified as the will of God. Destroying the social infrastructure that helps the poor to survive from day to day can be presented as the will of God. The words of Christianity can be used by the government to support actions and policies that are directly contrary to the teachings of Christ.
2) The Church Loses Its Prophetic Power: An essential element of the mission of Christianity is to challenge continuously the exploitation of the underprivileged, all unjust social structures, all violence. Often this aspect of the Christian mission requires the critiquing or even the condemnation of certain government policies. But how can Christians do that if the church is intertwined with the state? How can the leaders of the church speak out against government policies if they receive government handouts or are even on the government payroll to begin with? Who is going to bite that hand that feeds them?
3) The Church is Used as a Means of Control: Every religion exercises a certain amount of control over its practitioners. If the church were to be a part of the state, the government would make use of the church to mold people’s minds toward complete acceptance of its actions and policies. Objections to the behavior of the state would soon be seen as objections to God. Political dissent would soon become a sin.
4) Church Rules Become Civil Law: Every religion has rules that the practitioners are expected to follow. Some religious groups are more aggressive than others in enforcing their rules on their own members. As long as people agree freely to follow the rules of a particular religion, no one should object. However, no religious group has a right to force a person outside of the group to abide by the rules of the group. To do so would be a fundamental violation of the other person’s conscience. But when a religion becomes incorporated into the state, the specific rules of that religion usually become a part of the law of the land. Thus, a person can be obligated by law to follow religious customs that are contrary to his or her convictions.
5) Theological Dissent Becomes Treason: All persons should have the freedom to express their theological views without the fear of government retaliation. But when a religion becomes a part of the state, any questioning of the doctrines of that religion can be interpreted as treason against the state. Thus, theological inquiry, debate, or dissent can suddenly have serious political consequences. A person might be imprisoned or even put to death for not adhering to the officially sanctioned set of religious beliefs.
The above, then, are my five reasons for firmly supporting the separation of church and state. The authors of the our Constitution understood all this. That is why they sought to keep the church and the state from becoming intertwined.
Zoltan Abraham | zsazle (no spam) @yahoo.com
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posted by carol wolman @ 4:51 PM
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