Wednesday, April 29, 2020

State and Church

Our country was founded by various people escaping religious persecution in Europe as well as others.  The reformation took place near the age of discovery and each country decided whether to remain with Catholicism or allow a different religion.  Few were tolerant and believing differently than the state could result is rather severe consequences.

The founding fathers, who themselves had varying religious views, decided that the State would not pick the religion for the people and the constitution prohibits the "establishment of a religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof".

It couldn't be clearer that the state cannot establish which religion we have to practice.  This has however been twisted over the years into a system that comes close to doing just that.

Many people, perhaps a majority, would like to see the country declared a Christian country.

Many object to the practice of Islam specifically as if the part about prohibiting the free exercise thereof means nothing to them, although many of the same people are very protective of the Second Amendment.

It could be easily argued that we have gone a long way towards establishing a preference for many religions in our tax laws.  Not taxing them goes a long way to helping them get established.

Religions in this country should neither be helped or hindered by our laws.  Taxing them on the same basis as every other person or enterprise would achieve that.  Right now religions are treated preferentially and they shouldn't be.

Everyone should have the freedom to believe what they want, but no particular set of religious beliefs should dominate.  Yes, to some extent many of our laws have origins in things like the ten commandments, but we have codified the laws and we should enforce the laws we passed and not what is in some religious text in the Courts.

The other part has to answer to a higher authority, maybe.

No comments:

Post a Comment