What are your views regarding separation of church and state?

Question

Complete separation? No Separation? Is it ever acceptable for the government to take a religion's concept of morality and have it reflected in the law?

If yes to the last question, how would you feel if that religion was not your own?

just curious

Answer 1

I tend to favor separation. But remember, that works both ways. That means you can't legislate religion away also.

Laws reflect religious morality all the time. For example, the difference between killing and murder. Or the prohibition against stealing somebody else's property. However, these are generally accepted as common, and not specific to one religion or another. I feel that this is perfectly acceptable.

I would like to point out in closing, that the 1st Amendment not only forbids the Federal government of the US from setting up a state religion, it also forbids them from banning religion as well.

Answer 2

Complete separation.

Morality does not come from religion, so there would be no problem. Morals were around long before humans started worshipping gods and goddesses. I don't believe in God and I have no religion that teaches morality-- but I still know right from wrong.

I'm tired of being forced into the Christian religions, "One Nation Under God" is everywhere. Why can't there be total separation-- isn't freedom the ultimate goal of the US?

Answer 3

Please understand that the Constitution only addresses what Congress may do. Congress may not establish a state church, and may not interfere with the practice of any legitimate religion (or even with cults, as long as the cults aren't inducing people to commit felonies). This is what the Founders intended. It does NOT mean that we as citizens are bound in any way to refrain from having our own religious views influence government. Morality is pretty much universal. While there are some differences in details from one religion to another, most of the basic principles are the same. ALL laws (especially laws against felonious behavior) are based in morality. Murder is immoral. So is stealing, arson, rape, assault, and so forth. So laws legislate morality. They have to. We can't say that just because an act is immoral, we can't legislate against it. That would be nonsense. Should we say that we can't outlaw murder because murder is immoral? Every person who holds to a religion has a right to try to influence the government, and yes, this even applies to religions that are not my own. I have an equal right to use MY influence to counteract anything that this person is doing to influence government if I disagree with it. The United States was founded on Jewish, Christian, and deist principles. I am very content with that. If someone wants to bring in another religion that is diametrically opposed to that, I will use what influence I have to keep them from enacting their views, but equally, they have a right to try to enact their views at the expense of mine. If we offer complete freedom of religion, in the long run the true religion will win. It may be dicey for awhile, but truth thrives best in an atmosphere of free inquiry.

Answer 4

The framers of the Constitution were predominantly Christian and or lived according to Christian ethics. Our laws were predominantly developed from the Old Testament of the Bible so America's judicial system though founded on Biblical morality does not claim to be a Christian nation.
They were very adamant about not having a state religion nor should they and they advocated freedom for religions without the state interfering.
Now it is really quite impossible to ask anyone engaging in civic duty to check their beliefs at the door. Because whether one is religious or irreligious they will act on moral convictions or the lack there of. So the real question is do you want leaders with moral conviction or not.
It's freedom for religion and not freedom from religion.

Answer 5

If a religion gets it's slimy hands on any part of government, it is now just a mockery.

It becomes a dictatorship.

They should stay as far away from each other as possible. In fact I would only be comfortable if religion left the country.

Answer 6

It was done a long time ago, already. Just read some of the documents that determined our laws and when our country was being formed. To answer your last question, I would move from that country, because they sure as heck are not going to let me go in there and push my religion on their country.

Answer 7

I believe seperation of church and state should be fully held but but it hasn't and will not happen. One religions moral law will not benefit everyone, therefor there shouldn't be a religious tie when deciding them.

Answer 8

as far as i'm concerned, we have to separate religion and state. no state support for religious institutions and no tax benefits for them either. they are a business like any other business.
as to accepting a concept of morality... each legislator can propose laws based on his/her belief system and try and pass them as laws.
this applies to all religions.

Answer 9

i think of that as quickly as you learn his better writings, and those in touch interior the creation of the bill of Rights, you notice that the reason became that the government should not be coming up a central authority faith nor could it bypass regulations that want or discriminate against any specific religious ideals, not that government could be with none concept of religion all jointly. The text fabric, letters, notes, and different era records recommend that the writers et al. wanted to confirm that the government ought to not avert human beings from expressing their religious ideals in public and became not meant to assert that the government could bypass regulations to stress faith to be hid away in church homes, temples, and different homes of worship. Or to place it an different way: that's not freedom FROM faith yet freedom of religion. exciting actuality: the conferences wherein the form and bill of Rights have been written have been regularly opened with a prayer. If the purpose became to get rid of faith from government, it variety of feels atypical to be doing so after beginning with a prayer.

Answer 10

To answer the first question: church and state should be as separate as humanly possible.

To answer the second question, our government's "religion" is NOT mine and it disgusts me that it's view of "morality" is forced on me.