Church and State
Hutch
4 Comments
There is a very big difference between the separation of church and state, and the separation of God and state, or morals and state. The former is the idea of keeping organized religion out of politics. It stems from a fear of too much power over the people, much like king George V did when he ruled England during the war of independance. He was the head of state and the Church of England. One person making lay decisions and spiritual decisions. You see the delimma. However, the U.S. constitution does not say to keep God and state separate. Having 'In God We Trust' on a dollar bill is not the same as "In the Pope We Trust" or "In God We Trust... but only the Christian God". And after all, churches have a primarily positive impact on morality. And, call me crazy, but I could do with a lot less separation of morals and state.
Reader Comments (4)
Pssst... it was King George the Third.
And even though I'm a religious fellow and think some folks take separation of church and state too far, I also think the non-religious have a legitimate gripe over the whole "In God We Trust" thing. Their tax dollars pay for a statement of faith --however general-- that they do not share. I don't think I'd be very happy if an atheist majority took control of Congress and changed it to "One Nation, No God," so why should I think it's a fine idea to rub it in their noses?
Hmph. Holes in my theory!?! I can see some of your God-state idea, but my morality-state theory is as solid as a... something... solid.
Having 'In God We Trust' on a dollar bill is not the same as "In the Pope We Trust" or "In God We Trust... but only the Christian God".
Actually, it IS the same -- to atheists (like me).
And AJ - thanks for the analogy and support.
I've already conceeded the 'In God We Trust' thing. Dave, you can't tell me that you get chaffed every time you look at a quarter. If we were going to get offended at everything offensive, we'd all need to quit our jobs because it would take all of our time.