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Role of religion in politics
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SAME-SEX MARRIAGE Same sex marriage is a topic that has become increasingly more debatable throughout time
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A major problem in our government right now is the influence that religion has over government laws in the states and the country. Government and religion must always be separate due to the fact that there are multiple religions in the United States and that religious influence favors one over the other and influences laws that can be placed over the people. A major issue of religion and state is same-sex marriage which due to religious rules mainly form Christianity, forbids the act and the influence Christianity has on the States is evident to why it is illegal in more than 50% of the states in America. Another issue is the dealing with Abortion though government rules that this is legal religions tell the people that this is wrong and illegal which are another example of religion attempting to influence government decisions. The religious influence in Government can be eliminated by disallowing the teachings of a religion to directly affect a religious preference or law, to differentiate between religious marriage and state recognized marriage, and to make sure that religious influence does not affect the choosing of government candidates.
Religious influence has always been part of the American Government since the beginning. Even in the earliest history of the creation of our Government with the Declaration of Independence God is mentioned in the first paragraph. Though religion over the past two centuries has proven to be an influence on the United States government the influence has a relatively good standing. Religious influence in State and law has been a medium in the beginning of the governmental system but still set influence. The influence though pertained to the religion and idealism of the individuals carrying it ...
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...ation, and Attribution Style Among College Students." Individual Differences Research 11.2 (2013): 59-69. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
NeJaime, Douglas. "Marriage Inequality: Same-Sex Relationships, Religious Exemptions, and The Production of Sexual Orientation Discrimination." California Law Review100.5 (Oct2012): 1169-1238. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
Wardle, Lynn D. "Marriage and Religious Liberty: Comparative Law Problems and Conflict of Laws Solutions." Journal of Law & Family Studies 12.2 (2010): 315-364.Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
Antle III, W. James. "Speak Now, Or Forever Hold Your Peace. (Cover Story)." American Spectator 45.6 (2012): 14. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
Feldman, Noah. "A Church-State Solution." Newsgroup. The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 3 July 2005. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Abstract On June 26, 2015 a divided Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples could now marry nationwide. At the time of the split ruling there were 9 supreme court justices, 5 of the justices were Republicans, and the remaining 4 were Democrats. In high profile cases it is except that the justices will vote along party lines. When the 5-4 ruling was reveled by the following statement. “It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right (Corn,2015).” written by
Wolf, Richard. “Timeline: Same-Sex marriage through the years.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 26 June 2015,
In each of these instances those supporting government involvement in, and endorsement of religion have justified their assumptions by referencing the words and beliefs of the founding fathers, most notably Thomas Jefferson. They point out that he, like most of the other founders, was a religious man, and that his writings exposed a conviction America was essentially a Christian nation. After all, wasn’t it Jefferson who spoke of inalienable rights bestowed upon man by God in the Declaration of Independence? A more detailed examination of his beliefs, though, reveals exactly the opposite was the case, as Jefferson was actually a champion of s...
In the 2011 article ‘The True Meaning of Separation of Church and State’ by Bill Flax, “Faith is no civil contract, but a personal matter not to be profaned by politics.” These are the exact intentions of the US Constitution and the federal government. The goal is to allow citizens religious freedom that is uninhibited by federal regulation. This essay describes the fundamental reasons why faith groups and institutions should not be allowed to form political parties. This will be done by defining what religion is and how it applies to moral living. Second, this essay will cover the US Constitution and why it also defines moral living. Finally it will define why religion and government in the United States do not belong together. This essay is designed to only examine the US government.
Religion has ingrained itself into mainstream American politics. The current Reform Party and many portions of the Republican party platforms evidence this.
The modern state seeks its self-preservation above all else, and history reveals that governments are more than willing to exercise their monopoly on force and coercion in order to cement and defend their authority (5-6). Normally, unified social bodies such as the Church seek to counteract the dominance of the state through their public and political influence. However, when the Church simultaneously abdicates its political connections and powers and interiorizes itself within individual Catholics, it frees the state to exercise its will with little backlash: “Once the church has been individualized and eliminated as Christ’s body in the world, only the state is left to impersonate God”
Boston, Robert. Why the Religious Right is Wrong: About Separation of Church and State. Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books, 1993.
It appears the United States government has had a history of favoring Christianity. The United States government's favoritism of Christianity is a clear violation of the Christian faith. the First Amendment. This amendment states that "Congress shall make no law. respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
... middle of paper ... ... But as long as the Church and State have anything to do with one another, the struggle will continue. Bibliography:..
In 1789, the First Amendment established that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…” This meant the Federal and State Governments could not be partial or show support for any certain denomination or religious organization. However, throughout the history of the United States the controversial question over the relationship between church and state has always been called into question in establishing a one religion government. The main focus of the inquiry is to decide whether to keep the establishment clause or to tear it down and move towards a theocratic system. One side of the debate is the group against the separation of Church and State, who believe that if America was a more religious nation that it would become more moral as well as bring everyone in agreement with national decision making. Therefore the belief is that the United State would become more unified in an already corrupt system. On the other hand, the side for separation argues that the distance between established religion and national government is inherently necessary to keep maintain: religious tolerance, prevent biases, and prejudices, along with any sort of religious freedom in country that has thousands of different organized religions.
Organ, Christine. "Ethics and Respect Thrive with an Absolute Separation of Church and State." Christine Organ RSS. N.p., 29 Feb. 2012. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. .
Cook, Joe. "What Should We Do About Divorce Law? No to Covenant Marriage." World & I. Jan. 1998: 302-317. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 04 May. 2014.
The role of religion in politics is a topic that has long been argued, and has contributed to the start of wars, schisms (both political and religious), and other forms of inter and intra-state conflict. This topic, as a result of its checkered past, has become quite controversial, with many different viewpoints. One argument, put forth by many people throughout history, is that religion and the government should remain separate to avoid any conflicting interests. This view also typically suggests that there is one, or several, large and organized religions like the Roman Catholic Church, which would be able to use their “divine” authority to sway the politics of a given state by promising or threatening some form of godly approval or disapproval. By leveraging their divine power, individual figures within a religion, as well as the religion as a whole, could gain secular power for themselves, or over others. A second view, which was developed by many theologians through history, suggests that that without religion there would be a general lack of morality in the people and leaders of a given state, which would give way to poor political decisions that would not be in the interest of the people and perhaps even God (or the gods). This argument, however, does not address the fact that morality can exist without religion. In sociology, it is commonly accepted that social norms, which include morality, can result from any number of things. Religion, laws, or the basic desire of survival can all create these norms, so it suffices to say that as a society, our morals reflect our desire to live in relative peace through the creation of laws that serve to help us to survive. The argument of whether or not religion and politics should mix...
Stoddard, T, Fein, B, (Jan. 1990) Gay Marriage, Personal relationships, Marriage, Legislation, Homosexuality, American Bar Association, (Pages 42, 42)
The United States has always been closely tied with religion from its first settlers who fled to America to escape religious persecution to modern day where the motto still remains, “In God We Trust” on all government money, the words “under god” are spoken everyday nationwide in our national pledge, and religious zealots are some of the most listened voices in politics. Since the United States of America does not have an official national religion and promises freedom of religion without discrimination, the continued prevalence of religion, most commonly Protestantism or Catholicism, continues to discriminate against people of all religions or no religions and allows for lawmakers to circumvent actual politics and evidence for religious rhetoric and arguments based exclusively on the words of the Bible rather than actual studies, evidence,