What's the big deal about separation of church and state?

Question

If everyone lived according to the bible, wouldn't the country be a much better place? Shouldn't everybody live by the bible, and if they don't want to wouldn't it be better to force them to by making it law?

Answer 1

"Shouldn't everybody live by the bible? If they don't, force them"?

The questions on YA are getting scarier and scarier. I hope you are just having fun and made this up, right?

Answer 2

I would agree with most of the posts above about the separation between Church and State. I would agree that there are overlap between our own laws and, say, Moses' Ten Commandments. However, as others have mentioned, forcing a particular brand of faith upon everyone is very dangerous. What about the Jews, Muslims, Hindus or Buddhists? And there are divisions between Christians, between Catholics, and the different branches of Protestantism.

Also, in fairness, the point should also be raised that there is dispute on the exact line between Church and State. What about school prayers? The 10 commandments in public places? Or other religious symbols in public places? France banned the hijab and the Jewish yarmulka from public schools. Is that going too far?

Answer 3

That really is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. Not that you're not partially right, but seriously, give me a break.

You can't just force people to be one religion or another. This country was founded by people who didn't want to be forced to be Catholic. Not everyone believes in the ideas in the bible...some people use other religious teachings.

The bible isn't just a moral code. If every lived their lives based on the moral code it does espouse, then yes, things would be better. But people aren't drones, there's a reason the bible talks about sin...because everyone does it. No matter what your beliefs (no matter who/what you think created you) there's a reason that we have free-will.

You separate church and state because they have different interests. If you go back to the 1400s when the catholic church ruled Spain, for example, things just didn't work out so well for the people. The church fueled and funded colonialism in search of gold, etc. The church funded the missions that killed hundreds upon hundreds of Native Americans.

What would elections look like? Vote yes or no for changing the interpretation of passages in the Bible? Who could question the government, when it purportedly is run by God? What recourse do you take against God? Who do you sue when the government decides you should live in the lowest of housing in the name of minimalism (thou shall have no gods before me, and you seem to like running water too much)?

Religion is supposed to be God's domain and the state is man's. Obviously God isn't here to run the church himself, so people have to do it. But because people are inherently sinners, God's interests aren't always at the forefront of religious proceedings (though they purportedly are). If God's law were man's law, interpretations would change every day to suit the will of politicians, and when people got sick of it, they'd either escape to where they can practice religion as they please (pilgrims) or they might rebel against religion all together.

The two are just way too complicated on their own for matters to be made even more complicated in conjunction with one another.

Last thing I'll say is: If combined, the church would always win. It shouldn't be hard to see why this would be a problem. Utopias are nonexistent, so while your reasoning is noble, it's also flawed. It just doesn't work that way.

Answer 4

You're a top contributor? Please tell me you're being sarcastic. Remember a little thing called the Spanish Inquisition? How about the Crusades? Dark Ages ring a bell? These are things that happen when big religion, big politics and big money all get in the same bed together. We already have way too many people who are trying to be our father figures economically, politically and religiously at the same time. Do you really think we need to go down that road again? The bible is full of lessons on generosity, unconditional love, compassion and kindness. It's also full of harsh judgment, calls to arms, intolerance and bizarre, arcane, laws regarding animal sacrifice and division of property. If you want to live by 2,000 to 4,000 year old laws be my guest, but if I were to try to force people to believe anything (which I wouldn't) it would be atheism.

Answer 5

Surely you can't be for real! Point to me where in the Bible it says that the world would be a better place of government leaders forced people to live by the bible. That should answer you question. No country can be a "better place" if the government forces its residents to adopt a particular belief.

Answer 6

Who's version of the Bible?

The core beliefs of most religions are the same; it's the inconsistancies of the religions that produce harrmful results.

If everyone just used a little more common sense and courtesy, the world would be a better place to live in.

Answer 7

The bible was written by men first of all and men are infallible and a creature of contradiction.
When the bible was translated into English it was translated inaccurately.

The separation of church and state is to protect each from the other.

No church should be governed by the state's rules and the state should not be governed from any churches laws.

Answer 8

Who said it would be YOUR church in the state? What it is was Islam? How do you know it wouldn't be? Hey you open the door for ONE religion in your state, you open it for ALL religions in your state. You do realize what's inthe FIRST amendment.
Have you LEARNED about Iran? That's what happens with church and state.
I would also point out that the law in the country are based on humanism not Christianity but I doubt you would listen.
I see school is out for the day.
Please tell this is joke. Please?

Answer 9

Wouldn't it be better if everyone lived according to the Koran? Or the Book of Mormon? Or Dianetics? Starting to see the problem here? You want to impose your beliefs on everyone because, since they're your beliefs, you think they're right. Well, they're no more right than anyone else's. And one of the great things about this country is that nobody has the right to impose their religious beliefs on anyone else.

Answer 10

take a time machine back a couple of hundred years, you will see,

set the time machine ( or just read a history book) to England, and see the Catholic persecution. the church of England was set up as a protest of the Catholic church and they then excluded the Catholics from holding office or property etc etc etc...

then go to Spain and look at the persecution of the Jews

and unfortunately i can just keep going with examples. but our founding fathers set it up so there is no state sponsored religion that excludes any other religion.

unfortunately the debate has gotten twisted, and people now view it as keeping all religions out of government , instead of government choosing the religion for us

Answer 11

Move to Iraq or Iran. They have no seperation of church and state.

Now if your for church and state to be combined, then why Christianity? Why not Islam? How about Buddhism? There isn't a universal religion......oh, I get it. You only want it if it's YOUR religion. You wouldn't be flexible if you had to convert to another religion.

People that think like you are extremely dangerous to society. Thankfully, people of your intelligence usually aren't capable of hurting much more than themselves. Good luck with your ignorance.