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The answer to this question is a resounding "Yes!"
Although our knee-jerk reaction is to quickly answer in the
negative, thoughtful consideration must make the careful observer answer, of
course, "Yes!" Religion and moral views must be handled politically! For most of us, almost immediately, the
classical phrase "separation of church and state", comes to mind as some sort
of proof text, and a rationale to separate moral views from politics. However,
there is a gross misunderstanding of this phrase attributed to Thomas Jefferson:
it was actually meant to convey the need for protection for the free exercise
of religion. In addition, because the function of politics is concerned with
the formation and enforcement of laws, it is critical that we recognize that these
laws, in fact, are each a reflection of a moral view! Therefore, religion and
moral views must be handled politically.
The famous quote (thank you, Thomas Jefferson!) "separation
of church and state" is usually used to remind us that religion (and by
extension, moral values) should not be politicized. What few people understand,
however, is that this quote is taken completely out of context and actually
supports the opposite view!
Thomas Jefferson's famous quote is taken from a letter
written to Danbury Baptists in 1802, where he
called for a "wall of separation" between church and state, or by extension, religion
and politics. However, do we remember the context? As with so many things in
this Information Age, we have the content but have removed the context, completely
missing the point!
Here's the context: this new united republic, this fledgling union of states,
was formed by people who had been subject to tyranny in their mother country. In
Europe (for example), the state church totally precluded free expression and religious
liberty. To escape this oppression, people ventured to the New
World (the 13 Colonies) to enjoy (among other things) the pursuit
of religious liberty and expression.
As a result, one integral component of this new republic had to be freedom of
religion and conscience: the Founding Fathers realized that their republic--the
state--should never control or hinder religious expression. Jefferson, the main
architect of the Declaration of Independence, was assuring religious leaders
that there would be a wall of separation between the state and the church so
that the state, in generations to come, could never use its powers to limit the
church and all religious freedoms (as happened in other places). Unfortunately,
most people today have come to believe the exact opposite! "Separation of church and state" is almost
universally misunderstood as the basis for a rationale that limits rather than
protects religion. Oh, the irony of it all! The phrase was meant as a guarantee
that religious freedoms would not be limited or controlled by the state! As our
Founding Fathers understood, the state's job was to actually protect religious
freedoms.
Among other things, the state (aka politics) is busy with
the establishment and enforcement of laws. But aren't all laws an expression of
a moral view? A law that forbids stealing is expressing the moral view that
taking someone else's property is wrong. And so it is with each and every law:
moral views are being expressed--and thereby politicized!
In all free democratic societies, governments are
given the mandate to uphold individual freedoms including the freedom of
religion. These freedoms are protected through the legal system and the laws
that have been developed with every law reflecting a moral view of some kind.
Since politics is simply the operational side of governments, it becomes clear
that, at the end of the day, religion and moral views must be handled politically!
Are we opening a Pandora's Box? Perhaps, but religion and moral views must be handled politically by protecting and enshrining freedoms, not by exerting state control. |
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