is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any religion. Freedom of religion is considered by many people and nations to be a fundamental human right. Thomas Jefferson said (1807) “among the inestimable of our blessings, also, is that …of liberty to worship our Creator in the way we think most agreeable to His will; …”
Approximately one out of every two people in our country considers themselves a “Christian,” so if we were to go to a theocracy they would certainly think that they would have no problems living in our newly defined country.
But just from the small sample of “Christians” that I am familiar with, you have to start to wonder.
I know people who:
- are LDS, but consider themselves as Christian as any other Protestant group
- believe that anything that deals with fantasy and witchcraft (even novels) are the work of the devil and must be banned, and consider themselves Christian
- regularly use Tarot cards and read auras, and consider themselves Christian
- drink and party, and consider themselves Christian
- think alcohol, dancing or swimming with someone of a different gender are ways to let the devil into your life, and consider themselves Christian
- think that it’s their Christian duty to have as many kids as they are able
- choose to have no children, and consider themselves Christian
- listen to contemporary music and wear contemporary clothing, and consider themselves Christian
- find today’s music unacceptable and encourage their women to wear only skirts and no make-up, and consider themselves Christian
- have no problems with female or homosexual minsters, and consider themselves Christian
- believe that women should not have any position of authority in their church, and consider themselves Christian
……And on, and on.
So what set of rules would this new theocracy work under?
Our Founding Fathers wisely decided that (as Jefferson put it) a “wall of separation between church and state” would be the system in place for our country.
And as much as that frustrates people who want everyone to abid by the rules that they have chosen to live by, it allows the one in six and a quarter people like me …
(Consider what that number means – go to a restaurant. Assuming most tables have 2 to 4 people, then every two or three tables has at least one person who considers themselves either atheist or agnostic.)
to be able to live openly.
The theme ….. is the Separation of Church and State — we are for it. But the variations on the theme are many…This is not a bashing of religion – peeps can believe what they choose, however they choose — but it is a reminder that the Government should keep out of religion, and Religion should keep out of the government.”
Like!
Amen!
There are plenty of examples throughout history that demonstrate mixing government and religion leads to very bad things.
A theocracy sure sounds nice–and would be if we all followed God precisely as He wants. But since we don’t and leaders are so easily misled, it is super important to keep religion and politics out of each other.
Chesterton–if I’m remembering correctly–said this very well in “Orthodoxy” when he pointed out that Christianity is a religion that assumes the fallibility of man. Orthodox Christianity says that man is fallen and therefore leaders must be watched carefully. It is far too easy to get off course if national leadership and religion were mixed.
~Luke
Absolutely right. It’s hard, when a certain variety of Christians are being very noisy, to remember that they are not the only kind of Christian around. (They, the ones who want us to become more theocratic, certainly want you to forget that there are other ways to be Christian!) It’s so important for us as non-Christians to remind ourselves, for Christians who aren’t would-be theocrats to remind us, and for everyone to make those important distinctions in writing and speech.
Well of course, whoever wins must be the Chosen of God and thus gets to set the rules!
“Christians” have been persecuting and killing each other over absurd questions of interpretation for essentially 2000 years, starting with Judas Iscariot. Don’t expect them to unify anytime soon; that would require someone to admit they might not have been perfectly correct all along.