Today in the Daily Cardinal there was an article about the need for further separation between church and state. http://www.dailycardinal.com/article/607 While I do not think in any way that the article was "anti-religion," I do believe some of the statements were a bit misguided.
1. "Of course religion plays a role in forming one's personal politics, but when the religious view of politicians directly affect the rights of citizens, that is a problem."
and
2. "Laws should not be justified with religious reasoning, but because they enrich liberty and equality, and defend justice."
I can say as a Christian my faith absolutely influences my political stance on issues. What the author seems to be alluding too with this first statement is that this is OK, as long as I don't let my religious beliefs get in the way of others people's actions, i.e. abortion. (An issue that not all Christians agree on by the way, and the same goes for gay marriage.) The problem with this idea is that the author is insinuating that beliefs are "OK on Sunday morning, but shouldn't be applied the rest of the week." It doesn't work that way. To someone who holds strong Christian beliefs, their faith will trump politics every day of the week. It would be extremely hypocritical for a Christian to hold a set of beliefs and then not work to uphold those values in every facet of their lives.
While I realize the problem that occurs with starting a public school day off with prayer instead of the pledge of allegiance, I think it needs to be recognized that faith does shape people, and it is not a part of an individual that can (nor should be) left at the door when debating "a political issue."
1. "Of course religion plays a role in forming one's personal politics, but when the religious view of politicians directly affect the rights of citizens, that is a problem."
and
2. "Laws should not be justified with religious reasoning, but because they enrich liberty and equality, and defend justice."
I can say as a Christian my faith absolutely influences my political stance on issues. What the author seems to be alluding too with this first statement is that this is OK, as long as I don't let my religious beliefs get in the way of others people's actions, i.e. abortion. (An issue that not all Christians agree on by the way, and the same goes for gay marriage.) The problem with this idea is that the author is insinuating that beliefs are "OK on Sunday morning, but shouldn't be applied the rest of the week." It doesn't work that way. To someone who holds strong Christian beliefs, their faith will trump politics every day of the week. It would be extremely hypocritical for a Christian to hold a set of beliefs and then not work to uphold those values in every facet of their lives.
While I realize the problem that occurs with starting a public school day off with prayer instead of the pledge of allegiance, I think it needs to be recognized that faith does shape people, and it is not a part of an individual that can (nor should be) left at the door when debating "a political issue."
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