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 The goal of improving human relationships has been replaced by the struggle for position and power, and society is the loser.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.