As a child, I was raised with the evangelical canon of the Church of Christ. But as an adult, I no longer allow my spiritual beliefs to be confined to the pulpit or book of just one organized religion.
I still believe in God; I still believe in trying one’s best to do the right thing; I still believe in the power of prayer and of forgiveness; I still believe in the beauty and purpose of the soul.
I still believe myself to be Christian.
But I also believe that two consenting adults should have the right to love each other regardless of their sexual orientation and that a woman should always be able to make decisions regarding her own body and reproductive rights.
My religious upbringing taught me that homosexuality was sinful and that gay unions should not be allowed. But my political belief is that all people are created equal and thus should be treated as such, homosexual couples being given the same civil rights as their heterosexual counterparts.
My religious upbringing taught me that abortion was wrong and that such should be outlawed. But my political belief is that such a choice should always be in the hands of the woman making it, not in the hands of a legislative body that has no personal responsibility in the matter.
Regardless of the religious upbringing of my youth or the prospect of the changing spiritual beliefs of my tomorrow, I always have and always will strongly believe in the separation of church and state.
Regarding the political landscape of late, it seems to me that there are those in power who would have us blur those lines ... those who propose to speak for all Christians, those who propose to speak for my God, those who would have us believe that our governmental policy should be driven by the will of our supposedly "Christian-only" nation.
But we are not a Christian nation; we are a nation of Christians and Jews and Muslims and Hindus and Buddhists. We are also a nation of non-believers and non-church going folk who may not have "Sunday-best" hanging in their closets but who most assuredly carry the best of intentions within their hearts. And just as our Pledge of Allegiance states that we are “ ... one nation, under God ...” perhaps it is worth mentioning that such does not denote a singular God, merely a singular nation.
We must be politically united in the constitutional right that religion can be publicly divided but that such division is the very reason why religion can not, it must not, ever be used to mandate governmental policy. For whose religion would you choose to authorize such by? Which church’s “sins” would you choose to replicate as law?
Furthermore, separation of church and state not only protects our governing process but such also protects our freedom to worship. Our executive, legislative and judicial branches of government should never be allowed to repress our worshipping practices into one nationalized religion. A person's relationship with God is a very intimate thing and I shudder to think that my government would ever try and regulate when I could and could not go to him in prayer or sing praises in his name.
These are the very ideals that our country fought for, that our founding soldiers died for. This nation was founded upon the very principle of freedom of religion ... a freedom that gives us the right to worship, or not worship, a God of our own choosing.
As human beings, we have the right to have our lives and property protected by law from others that would do us harm. But, for example, in the case of gay civil unions involving two consenting adults, tell me ... what life or property is at risk? And in the case of a woman’s right to choose, tell me ... why should such a personal, private decision, involving the woman’s body alone, ever be taken away from her? Simply because they’re deemed “sinful” by one's church is not enough to demand governmental legislation.
But on the flip side of the separation argument, there are those who seek to completely remove all hints and whispers of a God, of faith, of religion from the governing of our public lives. There are those who believe the phrase "under God" should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance and that the words "In God We Trust" be removed from our national currency. There are those who believe that the mere mentioning of God or of prayer should remain absent in speeches within the political forum.
But to do so would be a great disservice to our nation's spiritual ability to share in the broader commonalty of the belief in a higher power. The concept of a higher power, unlike some argumentative religions, unites; it does not divide. A higher power urges us to feed the hungry and to clothe the poor. A higher power urges us to provide affordable housing and to supply the educational tools needed so that our children might reach their highest potential. A higher power urges us to care for our oldest citizens and for our veterans, to respect the contributions they have given to America. A higher power urges us to provide medicine and health care for those that are sick and in need. And perhaps most importantly, a higher power loves us all - regardless of our race, our religion, our sexual orientation or political affiliation.
A higher power has many names but whatever you may choose to call such, be it God or conscience, a higher power believes in you and a higher power believes in the preeminence of democracy.
Our founding fathers had the right idea; they knew what they were doing. Their concept of separation of church and state was radical and innovative in its time and it continues to stimulate debate to this day. They understood that the concept of one's faith was a very personal issue and that faith was and still is, by its very definition, a matter of hopeful belief, a belief not needing to translate to factual governmental law. But they also knew that such faith has the power to unite, the power to awaken, the power to enlighten, the power to call a person to duty.
Barack Obama has heard that call.
Barack Obama's Call To Renewal Keynote Address given on June 28, 2006 in Washington DC is, in my opinion, the perfect example of a man of great faith demonstrating the common sense and reasoning we need when faced with the heady mixture of religion and politics. He understands the challenges and the limitations on the separation of church and state. But he also understands humanity's desire for a belief ... for a purpose ... in something much larger than themselves.
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