I was having a conversation with a friend of mine, Will, the other day on the phone, and he gave a good explanation of why religion and government should be kept separate. It went something like this:
The government is of the people, by the people, for the people.
The government is there to serve the people.
Religion is there to serve God.
Those in government should be serving the people, even if such service would not be in line with their view of how one serves God.
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Just a note, the "government of the people, by the people, for the people" is per Lincoln - though he also states that it is under God.
Anyway, Will's argument presents the interesting other side of the coin, making a similar argument, but from an agnostic perspective as the Bible:
Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." (although here it is specifically talking about money versus God)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MATT%206;&version=31;
Matthew 22:21 "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." (Again in regard to money)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MATT%2022;&version=31;
Will might not approve of how I've explained this. If this is the case, then most likely, there will be a comment to set me straight!
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1 comment:
What I actually said was far simpler:
If you're serving god, you're not serving the people. But your post gives it a good plank to stand on.
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