Do you feel Religion has too much influence in your national government?

Question

Whichever country you're from, do you feel that Religion is given undue weight in decision making at the highest levels of your government?

Why or Why not? Can you share examples?

Answer 1

No, I do not feel that way. I feel that it does not have enough influence, for if it did, politicians would not cheat and lie, nor condone murder.

Answer 2

I feel there are morons everywhere. Decisions of government made for religious reasons are bad, but when that is the stated reason for the decision, I'm pretty sure I'm looking at a moron. It's easy enough to say abortion is against my religion and I'm in charge so that's the way we're going. But make a constitutional argument that supports abolishing abortion is too difficult for many politicians. It may very well be against the religious beliefs of a politician that thinks it should be legal, but this politician doesn't have the ability to cower behind his/her religion. They must argue why legally it should exist.

One's a moron that takes the easy way, the other is a traitor to his/her religion. Go figure.

Answer 3

Religions have a existence span, so Islam isn't around constantly, yet possibly for an prolonged time. Islam ought to no longer win a coach down conflict between religions on a similar time as you evaluate it particularly is at night an prolonged time in terms of technological counsel and technologies. the completed Muslim international has in basic terms won approximately 10 Nobel Prizes. Israel on my own has approximately 200 recipients. on a similar time as scientific concept is set loose, greater human beings will start to appreciate that religions are consistent with myths somewhat than information. Then we may be able to maintain removed from all out conflict.

Answer 4

Absolutely yes it has too much influence.

The best example, is how politicians have used Christianity to create a federal ban on gay marriage (1996). This is discriminatory and not the American way of equality for all.

Sure states are making their own civil unions, etc.. but the federal govt will never recognize the marriages of same sex couples until this law is undone.

Answer 5

I think that religion is a natural influence on the government. I think it is up to the government to limit the influences, and the best governments do. Any government is made up of people, and people are very influenced by religion. I think to pretend otherwise is an illusion, and so while I think it is important for the government to keep itself seperate from religion, I mistrust governments that try to curtail religion and ignore that it exists.

Answer 6

Religion as a source of morality and ethics has too little influence on political leaders, but religious organizations have too much. Most religions share common a moral code of what is right and wrong in relations between people, and too often politicians ignore them in favor of self interest when making policy and in their private behavior. Religious organizations using governments to impose their sectarian beliefs on others are responsible for political discord, war, misery, and bloodshed through out history and it continues today.

In the US examples of putting self interest above morality in public policy would be our policy on torture and treatment of detainees, our indifference to Iraqi suffering under our occupation, and our failure to act in 1988 when the Kurd were actually being gassed, and then using it as a justification for invasion in 2003.
An example of religious organizations trying to use government to impose their sectarian beliefs is the efforts to teach creationism in science classes in public schools and the blocking of stem cell research.

Answer 7

Yes.

In Egypt, one must really be Islamic. Same too for Saudi Arabia. In Utah, it's Mormonism. At the Bush, Jr. White House, it's Texas Methodism (religious litmus test), and at the Vatican, one must belong to the Roman Church and never be a woman (since women are viewed as being incompetent and too stupid to be priests).

Many other examples too.

Answer 8

You radical anti-religion nut jobs scare me as much as the extreme religious nut jobs.
Our BRILLIANT Founding Fathers were SO correct in establishing the Bill of Rights, INCLUDING the right to practice (or not) the religion of your choice. They said the Government was NOT to interfere.
Why?
Very simply because extremists have a way of screwing everything up. They new that and gave us the Constitutional tools to prevent it.
If someone tries to prevent anyone from practicing the religion of their choice, then they are in violation of that
constitutionally granted RIGHT!
No religion is granted dominance. Therefore any religion that teaches its followers to discriminate against others is in violation of the same principle. Their actions to prevent the freedoms of others should not be allowed.

Answer 9

Yes and no, it depends how religion is used.
You shall not kill, tell one command and still USA does in Iraq.
You shall not steal, and USA does from other countries.
But, which religion should we use not to offend some one?
I think we should use the humanism as our basic ground in our decisions-

Answer 10

I'm British so the answers no and it shows in the state of family breakdown and immorality. Yet we still have a vocal minority of militant atheists who want to make it worse .

Answer 11

I don't understand why the goverments worried about any ones religion !!!!!They make up all these changes about pictures of jesus hanging around and want to take them down or take prayer out of school there all going to (HELL)!