Separation of Church and State

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

In a perfect world, the mandate for government and the mandate for spiritual guidance would be identical – a quest for the “common good”. The state and the church would be two arms of authority gathering people together in a synchronized effort to end the constant bitterness and violence of human society, and create a sustainable, reasonable peace where every person could participate and flourish. The only difference between these institutions would be the method used to accomplish this goal – the state using decrees and enforcement while the church set an example and taught others to follow. In the real world, however, it is essential to keep the division between them absolute, and guard against any kind of overlap.

Imagine what would happen if a political party or military council was able to convince the population that they operated with divine inspiration behind every decision, behind every demand, and that their motive was a constant, selfless caring for their fellow man. They could spend the taxes they collected on projects that would perpetuate this appearance, hire writers and advertising firms to bolster their public image of altruistic effort, and publicly discredit anyone who refused to believe the deception. Government would become the holy sanctuary of forgiveness and mercy (for anyone who pledged support for the campaign). “Salvation” (approval) would come down to voting for the acceptable candidate, or volunteering for the army.

On the other hand, try to imagine the church as a cold, indifferent agency that administered a strict set of rules that must be obeyed to avoid punishment. Officers would be selected by their zeal to enforce the doctrine, and administer the approved “discipline”. The congregation of this church would become very orderly, as anyone that challenged the “discipline” would automatically be regarded as an “enemy” of the faith.

Obviously, in our present world, the lines between the state and the church have become blurred, and the result is confusion and hysteria. The goal of improving human relationships has been replaced by the struggle for position and power, and society is the loser. I believe that it is time to untangle this confusion by demanding that the government stick to telling us what we can do (rights and freedoms), cannot do (criminal law), and must do (taxes, licenses and inspections), and that the church return to the task of representing God in truth and spirit.

Stock Market Correction

STOCK MARKET CORRECTION

Now that the markets are stabilizing somewhat, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. That was scary – watching the prices plummet all at once around the entire world. There really wasn’t any need to worry, as the system has worked well for hundreds of years, but it does make me pause to wonder “what if?”


What if all of the major institutions are connected - interdependent so to speak? When the banks fail, (like the Savings and Loan debacle a few years back), the government steps in to restore confidence by bailing them out with tax dollars. When the stock market becomes unstable, the banks invest heavily with depositor’s cash to stabilize the situation and restore confidence. Governments take all the credit for a “booming economy” and a “robust market” to win elections and coast to victory on the restored confidence. What if all these institutions were built on foundations of greed, deception and arrogance and we all just stopped placing our confidence in them?

The result would probably be chaos! Wars would have no justification. Insurance companies would be forced to redefine an “Act of God”. Strikes and lockouts would make no sense. Farmers and tradesmen would be at the top of the “food chain”. Social assistance would have to be personal and close to home. In fact, if we all stopped relying on big government, bank credit and market “analysts” we would have to rely on each other as if we lived in a real community! The only things with any value to society would be integrity, friendship, cooperation and mutual respect.

Culture would eventually stop being something you purchase at a video store or on a CD. People would have to build honorable reputations like they used to. News would have to be reported, not created. Parents would have to tend to their children's education instead of arming them with Nike running shoes and sending them forth. It would be a nightmare. Utter chaos!

Bride of Frankenstein

THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN

Many pundits see the first trans-gender contestant in Donald Trump's “Miss Universe Contest” as a breakthrough from the historical simplicity of gender, claiming that the amazing beauty on stage was living proof that sex is more complicated than male and female, and that introducing personal feelings and choice to an otherwise cold and indifferent fact is simply the result of human compassion and ingenuity. I see this as the latest assault on reason and common sense by the harbingers of deception and confusion. Why do some people insist that truth cannot be simple and easily understood?

The refusal to acknowledge that gender is either male or female demonstrates the same stubborn stupidity as slogans like “Guns don't kill people, people kill people”, or “It's the economy, stupid!” The truth is simple – guns are designed and promoted to be used as weapons to maim and kill other people. And in a society where the wasted meals from restaurants could feed the entire homeless population of every city, and where giant, heated office towers stand empty every night while people cower in cardboard boxes in the street, there is no thought for economy in our present system.

Perhaps the tenacity of this ignorance is rooted in the desperation to be in charge of our own destiny, but attempting to reorder the universe to fit personalized specifications can become extremely complicated (and enormously expensive), so we usually settle for changing “reality” to suit our aspirations instead. We can all pretend that the Fukushima disaster is safely behind us, that the financial experts will solve the debt crisis, and that a war with Iran, or Russia, or China, ..., is necessary to guarantee lasting peace in the region and around the world. And while we're at it, we can just ignore the fact that the Miss Universe crown might go to a modern upgrade of the Bride of Frankenstein.

It seems to me that the simple answer is to find the serenity to accept those things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference.