Church vs State: A debate with myself
Posted in Commentary
Jun. 2, 2008 at 17:29
by BrendaBee
There is a difference in being a Christian nation and having a state mandated religion. The United States is a Christian nation because the majority of its citizens practice the Christian faith, however there has never been a state mandated religion. All who reside within our borders are free to worship God in their own way. Ostensibly all religious beliefs and practices are honored and protected by law.
Christ demanded his followers love thy neighbor as thy love thyself and do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Our Founding Father remembered this injunction. They remembered also the countries they came from had mandated state religions and people were persecuted for believing and practicing another way of worshiping God. They remembered that this country was first populated by people leaving their homes to come to a wilderness for the freedom to practice their beliefs. They also remembered that these groups which came for religious freedom failed to extend that same freedom to others who wished to come and settle near them. This is why it was felt a specific law be written into our Constitution mandating there never be a state sponsored religion in the United States.
It wasn't until almost two centuries later our federal government felt the need to specify in no uncertain terms that an individual could not be persecuted for his religion, his race or gender. This need came about with the Civil Rights movement and the need to give Blacks a law to invoke in instances of racial discrimination. At this time the feminist movement was also beginning as women were rebelling against the male dominated attitudes which had always been the way of society making women more or less chattel of men, so Congress tried to make an all encompassing law against any sort of discrimination.
It was this "need to be non-discriminating towards all" which led our nation to mandating that God must be hidden away and only brought out on Sunday mornings when we attend the church of our choice. I have for a long time now realized the mistake that was made when we the vast majority gave in to the tiny minority of non-religious atheist and more liberal thinkers in their demands to take God out of our daily lives. A mistake that changed the character of our nation and the attitudes of it's people. Ours has become a Godless society and I have watched this come about from the time the first strictures against religious displays were enacted into law.
We removed all public displays of religion such as prayers in the schools, removing even the Pledge of Allegiance to our Flag from our schools because of the words "under God", removing such harmless things as Nativity scenes in public parks and not allowing the display of the Ten Commandments, which were laws the Old Testament tells us were given to Moses by God Himself. In fact the Ten Commandments are not only accepted by over half the world's population by Christians, Jews and Muslims, but they have been the basis for all civil laws of the nations. But because they are made known to us in The Old Testament they are to be removed from public view.
There is much to be learned from a display that signifies the belief an all knowing God is watching over us at all times. Such displays reminds the good not to be tempted by evil, and puts some restrains on the bad behavior. The greatest harm came about because when God's influence was removed from our daily lives and public areas we left the door open for any and all influences both good and bad; mainly bad came in unfortunately.
For some time there it seemed to become a witch hunt and more liberal thinking people argued that any public policy is disqualifying if it has a basis in a religious stricture thus making it an imposition of religion on others. It seemed that logic had no sway in minds at that time. This careful watch against any show of religious belief is still with us and from time to time some one person or group makes a big noise against some policy. Most laws and policies and even political movements, in fact the very law against all and any type of discrimination is based on religious teachings or interpretations. It can be logically argued that the abolition of slavery, civil rights laws, opposition to the death penalty, and many others are all an imposition of religion on others!
The cleansing of religious displays up to this a point has been lead by liberal thinking individuals demanding all policies be given the "religious sniff test". The most recent opposition however is now coming from the religious amongst us in an ironic turn around. Embryonic stem cell research is promising the discovery of cures for all sorts of terrible afflictions from Alzheimer's to nerve re-growth allowing the paralyzed to move again to cell rejuvenation enabling the replacement of organs. But due to some people's religious belief in the soul's entering the physical at conception this research and possible miracle cure is seen as violating the separation of church and state.
Saner heads seem not able to prevail in this argument from whatever source and can not convince others that imposing religion means the mandating of religious practice. It does not mean the mandating of social policy that some people may have come to support for religious reasons.
And still the debate goes on and on into every area of our lives even a half century after we first began bowing in to the demands of the minority at the expense of the vast majority. There always seems to be one more item or idea that "offends" the beliefs or sensibilities of these others who have turned from God's teachings; or insisting on an interpretation of God's teaching based on their own thoughts.
The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have been attacked for their pledges, the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) and the YWCA have been attacked for their name and their by-laws. And yet no child has been denied the right to join the scouts and no one has been turned away from the Y. All are welcome and if there is something that personally offends an individual that the vast majority of the members believe in and are doing then it should not be for them to change, but for individual to decide whether to tolerate peacefully or go elsewhere.
At first like most people I didn't think there would be any harm done in removing these things from the public places if it would bring peace. Anything to bring peace! It didn't change my religious views not to see these things. I miss them yes, but it had no real affect on my religious views as I had religion as a part of my up bringing. It was a part of my daily life.
What I failed to understand at the time was the millions of children and adults who did not have religion and God as a part of their daily life making these public displays the only influence and reminder of God and Godliness and Christian principles they would have. These basically good, but non-religious individuals, were now left with nothing to counter balance the effects of the evil that liberalism unleashed on the public. The movies and music and general degeneration that has now become a large influence in our everyday lives.
In fact, the more degenerate the more revered things seemed to become. The picture of a crucifix in a jar of urine being considered by liberal critics as high art! How low can we go?
And sad, so very sad that we deprived our children of the stability of knowing and having the laws of goodness made a part of their lives. We left them without guidance or standards of beliefs and behavior for their day to day activities and choices. It is perfectly acceptable for our children to listen to the vile lyrics of rap music, but an offense to let them see the rules for behavior given in the Ten Commandments! Children must be taught and shown what is acceptable. Children have to be protected from the base and immoral until they have gained the knowledge to choose for themselves. We adults in our head long search for a religiously non-intrusive society took this guidance away from our most vulnerable.
From the benefit of 20/20 hindsight I see the horrific damage that has been done. Now and perhaps too late I have been stepping forward and condemning actions or speeches or even Letters to the Editor of our local newspaper when they are showing intolerance for a morally right or religious speech, sign, movie, display or what ever. I intend to spend the rest of my life being intolerant of the "intolerant", the "offended" and the "my way only".
There should be no conflict with anyone's beliefs if we are but tolerant of each others. Many work places are offering their Muslim workers time off five times each day to say their prayers to their God as required by their religion. This is as it should be. So why is it against the law for one short time period to say the Lord's Prayer or recite the Pledge of Allegiance? A Christian Nation that will not allow a state mandated religion should, and must, extend all courtesies to all of our brothers, even our Christian brothers, as Christ admonished us to do. BB
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