Merry Christmas!

The Separation of Church and State - Part 3

This is the third part of a long essay that I wrote on the Separation of Church and State.

3. Government and Religious Institutions Must be Separated


However, government and religious institutions must be separated. Religious institutions and government must be separated since its integration leads to danger and almost always ends in corruption of both the government and religion. History shows that when government and religious institutions are not separated, but are in each other’s service, the country quickly travels towards downfall. For example, the institutionalized Medieval Church and the king were not separated. When a new king sat on the throne, the church gave the king the power and the qualifications to be a king so that the people of the country wouldn’t dare rise up against the king. In return, as an efficient way to rule the kingdom, the kings declared one religion as the official religion of the country and helped the Church do religious activities without any problems by allowing only the religious institutions he approved to do any religious work. Through the help of the king, the church was able to achieve more power and gain privileges for themselves, and under this power, the people’s freedoms and rights were crushed. Thus, the problems and corruptions that seem to stem from religion is actually stem from corrupt religious institutions and corrupt politicians trying to use each other to benefit themselves. The Crusades or the Thirty Years War, widely known as religious wars, actually didn’t have much to do with religion. History shows us that it was the product of greed and a power struggle involving politicians, economists and clergymen, and people. For example, the Crusades started when King Alexius I of the Byzantine Empire asked Urban II, the pope of the Roman Empire for help. They rallied all of Europe with their appeal to recapture the holy land. Thus, it appears as if this war was fought for religion, but in actuality, it was a result of the combination of the pope’s wish for the expansion of his church and his political status, the king’s wish to claim his lands in the Byzantine territory (which had recently been lost to the Turks), and the European population’s greed for wealth and glory. The Thirty Years War was also on the surface, a conflict between Catholics and Protestants, but in reality it was a war for power disguised under the name of religion. Many problems that on the surface seemed to be purely religious problems were in reality a problem that arose from politicians and corrupted religious leaders creating a relationship to benefit from each other. We must learn from history and realize that what we should prevent is the integration of government and religious institutions. Also, we must understand the concept of “separation of church and state” in this historical context as well. Trying to accomplish the “separation of church and state” by removing religious symbols and expressions will only result in the “integration of atheism and state”. Trying to stop the spread of the teachings of a reliable and constructive religion will only create a dangerous situation for our society. Realizing this, it is necessary that we handle the issue of the “separation of church and state” very carefully.

The Separation of Church and State - Part 2

This is the second part of a long essay that I wrote on the Separation of Church and State.

2. A Religion Cannot be Removed, Only Substituted For Another

Religion is also something that can’t be removed; only substituted with another, since a person’s life and religion is intimately connected. Religion is more than merely believing in the existence of a higher being, but living the religion and making it the basis of one’s life. Many people tend to believe that the boundaries of religion should be limited to its association with life after death. They try to restrict religion to such boundaries and feel that such restricting is possible. Just like our body and our mind can’t be separated, the spiritual and practical components of religion must always go together. Religion affects people’s beliefs and mindsets, so people’s life and actions which are affected by their mindset are also controlled by religion. Thus, it isn’t possible for there to be a religion separate from realistic life. No matter how much one tries to separate the two, it’s not possible. This goes for false believers, pagans, and all religions and beliefs. For example, a person who goes to church but lives completely separately from the Bible or God’s will is not a true Christian but still living by his or her own religion. No matter what religion it is, it is impossible to remove or eliminate religion, and even if one religion is removed, another religion will replace it immediately. Replacing a religion with Atheism is no different, as Atheism is simply another form of religion. Even a simple philosophy or idea can very well turn into a religion. Atheism has stepped over the boundary of a philosophy and is now acting as a “religion” that believes in “no religion or higher being”. If Christianity is removed and Atheism is introduced, a government controlled by a religion named “Atheism” will be realized. Many religions we know as religions today have stemmed from a philosophy. Communism is one such example. Communism started out rejecting any form of higher being, and focusing on a utopia made of workers. However, what was the result? In place of Christianity, a religion advocating Communism was formed and gave rise to people such as Lenin and Stalin. A philosophy transformed into a religion. Buddhism also started off as a philosophy of one person named Buddha, who preached his way of thinking to others, but as more religious elements started seeping in and taking root, it transformed into the Buddhism we know today. Thus, adhering to a philosophy eventually gives the philosophy the role of a religion, and eventually it actually becomes a religion. A look into the scientific areas reveals the fact that theories such as evolution have also become a religion in many ways, because pure science should be ready to accept faults and mistakes, searching for the truth about the wonders of this Earth. However, that is certainly not the attitude of evolutionists. Scientists who believe in evolution think that evolution is the only scientific truth and that creation is a religion and shouldn’t even be considered as science. Whenever they don’t have an answer or an explanation, the only answer they give is “we don’t have an explanation now but perhaps we will know in a few million years.” Is this science or religion? Now, Evolution has evolved into a religion. As seen, religion doesn’t require an existence of a higher being. People may choose to make and believe their own gods even it is not proven, and such is idol worshipping. People can even choose to idolize trees, reason, fads, or a certain ideology. Thus, any efforts to remove religion will become a futile mission. In conclusion, removing Christianity won’t eliminate religion. Another religion will come to replace it, and in place of Christianity, idols, fads, philosophy and ideas will evolve into religion and take root. Today, there are many people who argue that religion and government must be separated, but if this truly happens, they will only be replacing Christianity with a religion called Atheism. If removing religion is what they want, they will fail and only succeed in founding a government controlled by a religion called Atheism. In this regard, there is a lot to learn from the process of Russia’s communization. Religion, the royalty, and the aristocracy became corrupted in Russia which was a Christian country. However, what was the result of throwing away Christianity and accepting Communism? The result was the blood of millions of Russian people in the process, and such bloodshed should be enough to show how imprudent and juvenile, trying to remove Christianity is. People must change their negative attitude about religion. Getting rid of religion is impossible anyways, so we should stop destructive and pessimistic religions, and not ignore religions that have proven to be positive and constructive, accepting the ideas, values, and views of such religions.

The Separation of Church and State - Part 1

This is the first part of a long essay that I wrote on the Separation of Church and State. I have inserted headers for each section so that the main point of each part of my essay is clear. The other parts of the essay will be up soon.

Religion, especially Christianity, has been an integral part of America ever since it was founded in the late 1700s. Our founding fathers have written the Constitution to ensure religious freedom for all Americans. Amendment I of the United States Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” The concept of separation of church and state has become an important and popularized interpretation of the Establishment clause in the First Amendment, but amidst controversy about the issue today, there are some points that we must make clear about the issue of the separation of church and state.

1. The Separation of Religion and Government is Impossible

The first idea to consider in solving this issue of separation of church and state is that government and religion are inseparable. In one of the most dramatic scenes from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, when Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, plans to take revenge by taking a pound of flesh from Antonio, Portia, acting as a judge responds by saying,

Tarry a little. There is something else.
This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood.
The words expressly are “a pound of flesh.”
Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh,
But in the cutting it if thou dost shed
One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods
Are by the laws of Venice confiscate
Unto the state of Venice.
(IV.i.318-325)

Shylock admits defeat at Portia’s demand that he not shed any blood and take exactly one pound of flesh. What made Shylock admit defeat? His defeat can only be attributed to the fact that flesh and blood are inseparable. The same goes for government and religion. Just like blood goes with flesh, government goes with religion and the two are intertwined in such a way that they are inseparable. Religion is an integral part of the life of every human being and is furthermore, the foundation for it. Thus, religion influences everything from science and philosophy to economy and human relationships, and it is impossible to remove such influence of religion. Many scientists today tend to ignore and ridicule religion, but they don’t realize that Christian religion is what essentially provided the environment and mindset for science to flourish. This is something that world history tells us. People may argue that Christianity actually represses science, pointing to the Middle Ages. Although science was indeed repressed in the Middle Ages, which is considered a Christian era, the Church in the Middle Ages was corrupted beyond repair and cannot be truly categorized as fundamentally Christian. However, science flourished after the Reformation era when the church was reformed. Reformation brought forth the Renaissance era, which is usually associated with the advancement of science. It is clear that although it may seem like this advancement was a result of a break from religion, one look at the history of the world and its timeline makes it clear that the Reformation allowed the science, art, music, and enlightenment associated with the Renaissance period to flourish. A look at some of the world’s most renown scientists also makes this message clear. Isaac Newton, considered one of the most important scientists of all times made many important contributions to the world; one of them being his laws of universal gravitation and motion. Where would Newton have gotten his enthusiasm and curiosity for science and mathematics? Newton once said “Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done.” His strong Christian belief was the basis for his important scientific contributions to the world, and the advancement of the scientific world came from Christians such as him. “Mechanical advancement” from experience may be possible even under a religion that idolizes nature, but “Scientific advancement” from experiments and inquiries based on reasoning and faith would not have been possible. For example, if scientists didn’t have the faith that the universe was made in an orderly fashion by God, modern scientists might have been kneeling under trees and praying to the trees to make their wish come true. Therefore, scientists must understand that Christianity, which provides the way for them to govern and control our universe, is their scientific root and foundation. Religion also influences economics. Religion has the ability to stimulate the economy into growth, or lead the economy into a recession. Religion makes people either respect economic practices or look down upon it, because religious concepts influence people’s economic philosophy and economic activities. Intellectual economists don’t emerge from religious societies such as the Confucianist societies that believe that the poor are all good and the rich are all evil. Christians on the other hand, don’t see the rich as evil and thus encourage people to use wealth as a tool to stimulate the economy and serve less fortunate people.

Naturally, not only does religion shape economics, but it also shapes people’s political ideology. Humans aren’t programmed to think and act a certain way, unlike animals, so education is vital in shaping the ideology, values, ideas, and attitudes of humans. Religion shapes what’s most important in humans; one’s character and personality. In one word, religion shapes one’s humanity. Thus, the religion that a person believes in is bound to have a direct effect on the person’s politics. For instance, India is a democratic country, but India’s social structure is based upon the cast system, stemming from their Hinduism. Many Indian intellectuals say that Hinduism is the most important road block to the advancement of India. For example, Hinduism prevents anyone from killing cows, so cows may walk around in the middle of the street, making transportation very complicated and difficult. However, Democracy was founded on Christian principles, which values the life of one man more than anything. Wherever, Christianity was established, totalitarianism was destroyed and in its place came democracy and the message of equality and freedom. Christianity not only founded Democracy but is still an integral part of Democratic principles that all Americans value and hold dear. We must realize that the society and the political order of a country are determined by the religion that influences that country and deal with the matter of separation of church and state very seriously.