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How religion affects political decisions
Political decisions influenced by religion in America
Political decisions influenced by religion in America
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There has been controversy over several years over The Holy Bible and its use in the public scene. It nevertheless, has developed conflicting arguments and influence in modern day, such as its position with the justice system, school and educational systems, and in many healthcare systems. Politics in the United States attempt to dictate regulations and forms of government in an approach that separates church from state; the government and religious sectors will remain separate and will not influence and/or affect the other. Our founding fathers found it best to do so, considering that many religious affiliations took the opportunity to move to a new land where they can express their own culture, traditions, and belief.
Integrating several
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In other words, these most fundamental of human rights are given by God (“endowed by their Creator”), and the principle of government is to defend those God-given rights, according to the Declaration of Independence upon which the country was founded. The “exclude religion from government” view is wrong when it implies the illegitimacy of statements like these found in the very foundation of our existence as a nation. Using religious reasons to support a secular law is not establishing a religion” (Grudem, 33). Using The Holy Bible to make reference to a claim is said to be of good use; it is when the doctrine of belief gets intermixed with government is when conflicting interest …show more content…
The Bible contains so many references to life that are still relevant to the lives of today. The theocratic image of the Bible is seen in the following claim: “Perhaps the most influential such image in history has been the theocratic image. God has laid down the way in which society ought to be governed; the essential constitution for human society has been written by God. The Mosiac law exemplifies this. Basic norms were explicitly laid down by God: how to deal with homicide, which animals might be eaten, what to do if a corpse was found in the fields. Even if such rules could not be exactly followed within the very different world of Christendom, they continued to support a theocratic image. The Middle Ages struggled with the problem of interest upon loans because “usury” was understood to be directly written by God. And not only the laws, but also the centrality of persons with divine authority- kings, judges, patriarchs- reinforced the theocratic idea. Hence came the establishment of religion, the linkage of church and state, religious sanction for war, and the divine right of kings. Later, some of these connections were weakened: monarchy was challenged, church and state could be separated, but the force of the theocratic paradigm continued; the belief that direct divine instructions for state and politics exist enshrined in the Bible lingers on” (Marini & Stephen et al). The idea of the separation of
...a was based on Christian beliefs, hence, a nation under God. Acts 5: 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority”(Holy Bible). This Biblical verse reflects the Christian beliefs of our founders that men should try to live their lives as God desires. Leviticus 18: 22 says that you should not lie with another man as a women; it is an abomination (Holy Bible). If the United States was truly obedient to God as it should be then there would not be any laws passed allowing gay marriage or abortion. These go against the Bible, the word of God, but the Government has deemed them acceptable. This issue shows how obedience to authority can cripple a nation. The Government is allowing an issue they should never have considered to become recognized as acceptable. If this path continues, society will continue to crumble and decay.
The general court was set on a path to separating the beliefs of the church and the government. Luckily, years later a law would be passed in the Constitution that separates church and state.
Religion has always been a topic that makes people uncomfortable, it has sparked wars, legal cases and arguments. This is a controversial issue that reigns havoc in many countries and because of this American citizens are afforded religious freedom through the US constitution. The goal of the United States government has never been to make our nation irreligious but to uphold the values of religious freedom.
The Myth of the Separation of Church and State retrieved on January 7, 2005 from: http://www.noapathy.org/tracts/mythofseparation.html
Christianity’s role in America has rapidly changed over the last decades. Although it is still the most popular religion in the country its power over the people has decreased significantly. However, there are still many misconceptions towards American Christianity and in order to understand the unique nature of this religiously diverse country; one must understand its history and its citizens own views on the matter.
" There is another reference to religion in Article 6, Section 3. This clause states "the United States" and the several States shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this Constitution. but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust. under the United States" http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html. For the purpose of this paper I am going to focus on the establishment of religion above mentioned in the The First Amendment..
With sounds of youthful laughter, conversations about the students’ weekends, and the shuffling of college ruled paper; students file into their classrooms and find their seats on a typical Monday morning. As the announcements travel throughout the school’s intercoms, the usual “Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance” becomes no longer usual but rather puzzling to some students. “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, indivisible, with liberty, and justice for all.” Confusion passes through some of the student’s minds. With the reoccurrence of “God” in the backdrop of American life, the relationship between church and state has become of little to no matter for American citizens just as it has with American students. While congress makes no law respecting an establishment of religion, the term “freedom of religion” presents itself to no longer be the definition of “free”, while also having its effects on debates today. According to Burt Rieff, in Conflicting Rights and Religious Liberty, “Parents, school officials, politicians, and religious leaders entered the battle over defining the relationship between church and state, transforming constitutional issues into political, religious, and cultural debates” (Rieff). Throughout the 20th century, many have forgotten the meaning of religion and what its effects are on the people of today. With the nonconformist society in today’s culture, religion has placed itself in a category of insignificance. With the many controversies of the world, religion is at a stand still, and is proven to not be as important as it was in the past. Though the United States government is based on separation of church and state, the gover...
Religion in politics and the government has been present since the federal government was first put into place. The issue of religion is present in such varied topics as the public school system, presidential elections, right down to the National Anthem. The fact of the matter is, the Church and State are very far from being separate in the United States. " Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. "
One year ago, the United States Supreme Court made two judgments in favor of marriage equality. This was once considered impossible, however, the United States has had a tremendous change of heart in supporting gay marriage. People even speculate that same-sex marriage will be legal in the whole U.S. within few years. Currently there are 17 states that have legalized same sex marriage, while in 33 states it remains banned. The majority of the states that still ban gay marriage have a very high Christian population. Many Christians believe that being homosexual conflicts the bible and refuse to accept it. In my opinion this illustrates why it is better to separate state from religion. We have also seen the church try to influence government decision in England, the archbishop of Canterbury recently stated "The concept of marriage as a normative place for procreation is lost. The idea of marriage as covenant ...
In conclusion, Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire despite the barriers of Judaism, the Empire itself, and problems within the church. Ironically, the Jews rejection of Jesus as Messiah was the catalyst for the leaders of the church to take the message to the Gentiles. This growing movement threatened the foundation of the Roman Empire. Although controversial, the Bible is used as a primary source document to understand the beliefs and customs of Judaism and Christianity. For the majority of Christians, the Bible is seen as historically accurate and is fundamental to their faith. The difficulties that the early church faced such as racism, tradition, and immorality are the same struggles we face today. For many throughout the world, the Bible is used as a “how to guide” for human behavior, has stood the test of time, and continues to be relevant.
The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances” (University, n.d.). During the time the Establishment Clause was founded it was “intended to prohibit the federal government from declaring and financially supporting a national religion, such as existed in many other countries at the time of the nation’s founding” (UMKC, n.d.). The separation of church and state would theoretically have no religious bearing on the government or the Supreme Court when making decisions. Christianity was the main religion that the federal government was supporting in general. The establishment Clause prevented the Federal Government from one national religion being supported over another religion through the objection of the separation of church and state.
Throughout the course of history, man has looked to religion for answers. Curiosity as to how we got here and why we are have driven people to seek out answers to these somewhat unanswerable questions. Over the past few thousand years, several varying religions have been established, some more prominent than others. Many of them share a similar story of a divine creator who has always been and will always be. In the case of Christianity, whether true or not, it has proven to be beneficial to society as a whole. The Bible set the standard for the moral compass that humans live their lives by to this day. The key fundamental problem with religion, although not the fault of religion, is that man has often used it as a gateway to power and prominence. In the case of the 18th century Gallican church, the French were abusing their religious powers, thus creating vast inequality throughout France, which eventually led to a rebellion against the church, and the eventual destruction of the church within France.
relevant to life, such as do not kill and do not steal. The bible also
Morality and the Bible & nbsp; Both the legal and salvation philosophies of the Old and New Testaments reflect those of the cultures around them, due to much copying and borrowing of laws and ideas. Furthermore, all societies around the world have similar moral and legal codes -- which is certainly not an accident. & nbsp; Interestingly enough, the moral codes of the world's religions bear a striking resemblance to each other, with only minor variations. Religions as different as Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism all have proscriptions against killing, lying, cheating, stealing, etc. This is not an accident, for reasons we shall explore below. & nbsp; Christians may then object that there is something unique about the Bible that makes it a superior moral code.
Scripture holds a prominent role in the sermon. In 2 Timothy 4:2, it states to “preach the word in season and out of season”. The Greek word for preach is ‘Kerusso’. It means to be a herald (proclaim) and to preach (announce) a message publicly and with conviction (persuasion). In this verse, Paul gave Timothy and the others ministers a charge and a commission to preach the Word. In order to be an effective preacher, the Word of God must be the foundation. In 2 Timothy 3:16, it states that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. In other words, the Word of God was written by man, God-breathed and divinely inspired. The Scripture is important because it creates an argument or appeal that is persuading the audience to do something. The substance of our preaching must come from the Bible because the Bible comes from God. As messenger and ambassadors of God, we are obligated to speak the mind and thoughts of God.