Thread: Separation of Church and...

It was the early protestants in America who pushed the hardest for the separation of church and state. They had seen first hand what happens when the state endorses a particular religious belief. Every person of another belief is automatically a second class citizens and not as backed or represented or treated equally by the state.

They knew that in order to have complete freedom OF religion, everyone first had to have freedom FROM religion. Think about that and you'll see the truth of it.


When government officials do things like that, the message they are sending is that the state shares the beliefs of a particular segment of the population, not all citizens. This automatically marginalizes every citizen who doesn't share that belief.

If you think that's not the case, imagine that he was a Muslim governor of a state that you as a Christian lived in for a moment. Now imagine your feelings if the governor announced a date of worship for Muhammad and prayers to Allah.

In that situation, could you at that point ever feel that the government represented your interests equally as those of a Muslim in your state?

If you as a Christian went to the court system in your state and saw predominantly displayed in the court house a giant monument of the 5 pillars of Islam, would you feel that you're going to receive treatment equal to a Muslim in the court system?

No. It's impossible to, because the state is automatically more on the side of some citizens than it is on others.

Freedom of religion isn't there to protect the position of the majority, it's there to protect the positions of the minority religions, because the position of majority doesn't always stay that way. For one group to be protected, all have to be. For that to happen, the power of the state CAN NOT be more behind any one belief.

Absolute separation of state is the only way to fully achieve that. It's that way to protect me and you as well, from each other and the state equally.