All too often I hear of politician's policies being determined by moral guidelines based on their religions. But is government not supposed to be separate from religion? Is it proper for a person who is elected into a position of power to govern based on their religious beliefs?
The words of some of America's founding fathers.
Thomas Jefferson 1)âChristianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the Common Law.â -letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, 1814 4)âGouverneur Morris had often told me that General Washington believed no more of that system (Christianity) than did he himself.â -Thomas Jefferson, in his private journal, Feb. 1800
Benjamin Franklin 1)âLighthouses are more helpful than churches.â -in Poor Richardâs Almanac 2)âIn the affairs of the world, men are saved not by faith, but by the lack of it."
James Madison 1)âReligious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise.â-letter to Wm. Bradford, April 1, 1774 2)âThe purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries.â -1803 letter objecting use of gov. land for churches
John Adams 1)âThis would be the best of all possible worlds, if there were no religion in it.â 2)âThe divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find a precept for Creeds, Confessions, Oaths, Doctrines, and whole cartloads of other foolish trumpery that we find in Christianity.â
Thomas Paine 1)âOf all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst.â 2)âAll national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.â 3)âThe story of Jesus Christ appearing after he was dead is the story of an apparition, such as timid imaginations can always create in vision, and credulity believe. Stories of this kind had been told of the assassination of Julius Caesar.â 4)âThe study of theology, as it stands in the Christian churches, is the study of nothing; it is founded on nothing; it rests on no principles; it proceeds by no authority; it has no data; it can demonstrate nothing; and it admits of no conclusion.â
I'm merely looking for opinions. I can see both sides of the argument. One one hand the person running for government has a right to his/her own religion. And if elected, will govern based on his/her opinion. But does it cross a line if that opinion is based on what a pope says? Or is it totally just because the people who elected them knew full well there beliefs?
Yeah, I guess that was kinda the undercurrent because I am a Christian. However, I didn't want to turn this thread into a debate of religions; that's why I've been focusing on the legal side of it all.
In general though, I think there have been laws to restrict people of a religion. Which are also unfair.
Yes, there certainly have been laws passed that restrict religion to some extent. (You can read the case of "Employment Division v. Smith, 494 US. 872 (1990)" where it shows my first example of taking hallucinogenic drugs for religious purposes.) (I posted this case just to prove the validity of my previous statements. I much rather having concrete examples rather than the suppositions of a person.)
But like I said before:
it will have to pass the "Compelling Interest Test."
This test, in a legal sense, is considered perfectly valid in determining a law's justification.
Then to anyone who reads this thread.. I am always available to answer any questions anyone may have dealing with the Constitutional law side of any problem or issue. (Note I said Constitutional law, I haven't studied any criminal law yet, so I won't be able to be as much help there, but I can try if you want.)
