More handpicked essays just for you.
How religion influences government
Inequality in religion on the basis of gender
Gender inequality based on religion
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: How religion influences government
“Then no single set of religious moral prescriptions (or proscriptions) can be basis of public policy or national identity” (13).
In the book Love the Sin: Regulation and Limits of Religious Tolerance, Janet R. Jakobsen and Ann Pellegrini call the reader’s attention to the conflict between religion, sex and tolerance. The authors effectively demonstrate how “no single set of religious moral prescriptions (or proscriptions) can be (the) basis of public policy or national identity” (13). Furthermore, Jakobsen and Pellegrini explain how America has yet to separate the distinction between the Protestant’s church morality, religious freedom and American ideology.
An example of America’s difficulty with separating church and state is that legal
systems often use morals deeply rooted in religion. This biased mind set is unjust in general but becomes even more unwarranted when talking about homosexuals. Through Chapter 1 Jakobsen and Pellegrini demonstrate how American society could control sexual relationships and families. A common theme throughout the book is that religion and freedom of morality tend to be conflicting in American society. Christianity and more specifically, Protestantism is so ingrained into American cultural that these values and morals are seen as normal and anything outside of these beliefs is seen as deviant. Both authors mange to contrast the meaning of the words “tolerance” and “freedom.” Tolerance has a negative connotation. One uses the words “tolerant” when they are unhappy with the situation around them. In no way is religion repressive or bad. The issue is American society is using religion to control others’ rights, for example: homosexual sodomy and the right for gays to marry. It’s shocking how America’s justice system uses religion to regulate sexuality, procreation and family life styles. Both Jakobsen and Pellegrini educate their audience on how sexual liberation is restricted by American culture because of the nation’s morals being grounded in Protestant roots.