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March 16, 2006

Notes from Ferdy - A Christian Perspective on Separation of Church and State

by Ferdinand T Cat

As a superior life form, I look at the Christian God as more of a competitor than an object of worship. Even so, I have respect for Christianity because it is so much a part of the fabric of Western Culture, and it was Western Culture that invented mozzarella cheese.

In any case, I'm not above reading the Bible every now and then, and for quite a few weeks now I've been pondering Mark 15:3-5.

The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of." But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.

Jesus was on the verge of being executed and he didn't even fight back. He was so committed to his non-confrontational ideals that he let himself be killed. At the very root of our civilization we have someone who is the very antithesis of a warrior. And that means propagating Christianity by force is a contradiction of its most basic tenets, a crystal clear case of taking the Lord's name in vain. Given how many times this blasphemy was condoned by the various Christian Churches in the past 2000 years, it gives me the shivers to think of what our the Middle Ages would have been like if Jesus hadn't died on the cross.

I was reminded of all this again last week, while perusing the comments of Hans Mast's article on capitalism from a Christian perspective.

See, when we think of forcing Christianity on people, we have this image of Crusaders descending upon Jerusalem and slaughtering all the Arab women and children. But that's not the only way you can force Christianity on people. What I realized while reading Hans' article is that you can also force Christianity by codifying the religion into law.

The most egregious example of this is the Welfare State. Jesus wants us to help the poor, but he didn't tell us to create a giant, soulless bureaucracy to do it for us. Jesus, in fact, was notoriously silent on the proper behavior of governments, even going so far as to say that some things are Caesar's and some things are God's.

In the past few years, separation of Church and State has become a code word for banning Christianity from the public square. But in reality, it's a fundamental Christian principle: man must be given the freedom to be moral.

You can argue about gay marriage and socialized medicine, but you have to approach them from a secular direction, not a Christian direction. More important, the law or lack thereof does not relieve Christians of their responsibilities as moral beings. You can't use the Welfare State as an excuse for conspicuous consumption any more than you can justify cheating on your spouse just because it's not against the law.

On the other hand, you have Mohammed.

Mohammed didn't sacrifice his life for his beliefs. He was a warrior prophet, and Islam is not only a way of life, it's a code of law. To the extent that conservatives feel Islam is anything but a religion of peace, it is because of the sneaking suspicion that the peace Islam promises is one where every government has its constitution rooted in the principles of the Koran.

President Bush calls Islam a religion of peace because if it were, then the War on Terror would be winnable in his lifetime. That's great, but it's not going to happen until someone finds an Islamic analog to the Christian separation of church and state. I think this is possible. In fact, I think the same CIA that thought there were already nuclear weapons in Iraq but no risk of an insurgency should have no problem finding an argument for peaceful coexistence in the Koran. They should start working on this right away. Not only would this be a great step toward peace in the Middle East, it might convince some of us that the CIA is actually useful.

It sounds like a win-win situation if you ask me.

Respectfully submitted,

Ferdinand T. Cat


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Comments

AHM has read me a lot of different religious books--the Bible, the Koran, some of the Hindu Vedas, a bit of the Buddhist texts, the Kama Sutra...uh...wait a sec... Forget I mentioned that last one.

Anyway, all the "religion of peace" stuff people quote is in the very beginnin' of the Koran, in the Suras Mohammad wrote when he was still in Medina. When no one paid any attention, he got a little irriatated and started with the "spreadin' the word with the sword" business.

If we can convince Muslims to toss half the Koran, I think we gotta' chance.


Posted by: Harrison at March 17, 2006 2:04 AM

Also, regarding taxes, when in the early Church people argued about how much to give, Paul instructed them not to force each other to give a set percent: (Macedonians 9:6-7)

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."


Posted by: PlutosDad Author Profile Page at March 17, 2006 11:46 AM

But somebody has to decide what's right and wrong. Is the standard for sanity and morality really in the masses? What happens when 51% of the population is Muslim...or insane...or cannibalistic?
You don't have to worship at my church, but I think God had a good point when He said "thou shalt not kill, steal, etc."


Posted by: Kim C at March 22, 2006 11:46 AM

Kim, your point is valid, and I dealt with it in a previous article (http://www.conservativecat.com/mt/archives/2006/01/the_very_import.html). There are two types of rules in a religion: moral rules that constrain your behavior toward others, and holiness rules that constrain your behavior toward God. Freedom of religion means that you only codify the moral rules into law. In almost every case, the moral rules have a secular benefit, which is why they tend to be constant across different religious systems.


Posted by: Ferdy Author Profile Page at March 24, 2006 9:12 AM

You have given the best argument for seperation of church and state from a Christian perspective that I've ever seen. Keep it up!


Posted by: Amanda at March 30, 2006 6:03 PM

The combination of church and state is by far the worst thing i ever heard of. If we give you an inch you take a mile. By giving the right of church and state to not be seperated it gives you the right to take away everything. First you will take away no i mean BAN gay marriage then books and music too!!! What will be next after that??? will you take it as far as banning a certian type of dress????


Posted by: nikki at January 3, 2007 2:15 PM

Nikki, I understand where you're coming from, but I'm trying to argue that Christ's teachings demand a separation of church and state. Jesus was continually arguing in favor of the spirit of the law over the letter of the law. To the extent that Jesus is unacceptable as a fulfillment of messianic prophecies, it's because he DIDN'T try to take over the state. Accepting Jesus means accepting that virtue comes from a just heart instead of a law degree.

So, really, I don't see why you're upset at me.


Posted by: Ferdy Author Profile Page at January 3, 2007 2:57 PM

A nice over view. This is something I am just coming to terms with. After becoming involved in the process and sending e-mails, letters, etc to representatives, editors, and the like, I am finding that if I want to separate from the systems of this earth, I must remove myself from the political real.

The Pre-constantinian church never raised an army, never involved itself in the government. They even put out people who would join these institutions.

We have been deceived by muddled thinkers who have given us a watered down Christianity. Two things to read... Civil Government by David Lipscomb (http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/dlipscomb/civgov.html)... It's a very good Bible study on the subject. The second is much shorter II Chronicles 7:14... God's formula to restore our nation.

PEACE!


Posted by: rohall59 at September 6, 2007 10:12 PM

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