Essential Estrogen

“Every religion is true one way or another. It is true when understood metaphorically. But when it gets stuck in its own metaphors, interpreting them as facts, then you are in trouble.”
~ Joseph Campbell

I believe most Americans walk through life and give little thought to the separation of religion and state. Outside of immigrants, I doubt there are many living the U.S. now who have personal experience with a religious-based government or theocracy in general.

Roughly a year ago, however, members of a subcommittee in the Missouri House of Representatives passed a resolution which named Christianity the state's official 'majority' religion. It did not protect minority religions, but did "protect the majority's right to express religious beliefs."

The resolution, which passed and now stands as a part of Missouri's history, reads as follows (as printed in the St. Louis Post Dispatch):

While many groups expressed their displeasure and words of caution, the act against the U.S. Constitution was mostly swept under the rug since there was no call to action built into the resolution.

“When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”
~ Sinclair Lewis

A few months later and a few states down, a well-known woman running for the U.S. Senate (as well as serving in the House) in Florida was quoted in the Florida Baptist Witness as bringing a direct message from God. Katherine Harris stated it is God's will that we "have the faithful in government." She added that separating religion and government is "so wrong because God is the one who chooses our rulers. And if we are the ones not actively involved in electing those godly men and women, we're going to have a nation of secular laws. That's not what our founding fathers intended and that's [sic] certainly isn't what God intended."

In that same interview Harris stated the principle of the separation of church and state is a "lie we have been told" to discourage religious people from running from office.

While the original articles dealing with Harris have been removed from the Orlando Sentinel site, you can still get information on this incident by visiting Raw Story and The Carpetbagger Report.

“Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.”
~ Steven Weinberg

Religion has been a motivator for both good and evil in society. Religion has often been a primary force behind the worst humanity has seen as well as a beam of light as humanity moves away from the worst.

It has been, and continues to be, at both ends of the spectrum.

For that reason alone -- the fact that religion can prompt the most profound dedication to others as well as bring about the most loathsome and atrocious acts against others -- religion must remain separate from any government which is to be of, by and for the people.

“The tendency to turn human judgments into divine commands makes religion one of the most dangerous forces in the world.”
~ Georgia Harkness

So, as firmly as I believe most Americans walk through life mostly unaware of their good fortunate when it comes to the separation of religion and government, I also believe the loss of that separation -- whether to the immediate benefit of your or my personal belief system -- would result in the long-term loss of our society, culture and nation.

“The problem with writing about religion is that you run the risk of offending sincerely religious people, and then they come after you with machetes.”
~ Dave Barry

I believe the Bush Administration has weakened (if not completely punctured) the thin wall separating church (religion) and state (government) in our country and, by doing so, has placed the very fabric of our nation at risk.

Key to this administration's transformation has been the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives program. Under this program, tax dollars collected from citizens like you an me, are funneled into religious philanthropic pursuits. How much of our tax money? No one knows for sure, including former FBCI Director Jim Towey.

In September 2003, the program was expanded (by $28 billion) to allow religious groups accepting taxpayer monies to proselytize and practice discriminatory hiring practices.

Much more information on FBCI can be found by visiting The Roundtable on Religion & Social Welfare Policy.

“But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”
~ Thomas Jefferson

Not only does the First Amendment ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.") protect the government from undue influence of religion, but it protects religions as well as private decision-making from undue influence of government.

This is what many seem to be forgetting. The Constitution and our Founding Fathers didn't just protect government from religion, they protected religion from government. They did so as a result of their own personal experiences with both religion and government and from first-hand viewing of what happens when the two mix.

Blog Against Theocracy