Separation of Church and State?

As a conservative Christian Republican, naturally I voted Yes on Proposition 8 in this past election. I voted according to my morals and my religious beliefs; my belief that marriage is only to be between one man and one woman, as God originally and still does intend it to be.

While watching a political talk show last night, the panel began discussing Prop 8 and my husband and I got to talking about it in a way we never had before. The views presented on the show were contradictory to ours, and although the following ideas were not represented in the dialogue, the panel's conversation did open the door for the ideas and conclusions we came to. I must add that what I am about to say is not necessarily the view my husband holds; I have expanded on our original discussion and do not want to press onto him any ideas I hold that he may disagree with.

Here in the United States, we have a separation of church and state. That means government has no bearing on religion, and religion has no bearing on government, or at least it's not supposed to. The phrase "separation of church and state" is not explicitly stated in the constitution or any other supporting document, but the idea is there, in the First Amendment. Thomas Jefferson reaffirmed that this amendment creates a "wall of separation" as stated in his 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists. This idea has since been enforced in a number of Supreme Court rulings beginning in 1878.

As a Christian, I voted according to my religious beliefs to alter our state constitution. Now, where's that separation? Okay, so no one ever said individuals had to keep it separate, but the management of this country and the laws that are passed are suppose to keep it separate. Which leads me to my next question...What was the proposition doing on the ballot in the first place? I would say that a one man-one woman marriage is a predominately Christian ideal although there are many non-Christians who support this view as well. If we stayed true to our American heritage, Prop 8 never would have made it to the ballot.

I have to wonder how I would feel if Islam was or became this nation's influential religion, and the Muslim religious beliefs began to be pushed onto me. For example, the Quran (the sacred text of Islam) states that a husband shall beat his wife if necessary. What if people began passing laws about domestic violence against women not only allowing it, but encouraging it? I, along with many others, would be pissed. No, pissed doesn't even begin to describe it. There are so many arguments that can be made against it. I won't get into it all, but here's a thought: If it became a lawful and acceptable thing to beat on women, what does that say about women in general? That we are inferior to men? That we don't have the same rights as men? That we don't deserve to have the same rights? That we hold a lesser worth or value as a human being? That we are no more than property? I could never go for that and there are many others who wouldn't either.

And that's the beauty of having a separation of church and state; with true separation, that could never happen. But do we really have it? What about the people in this country now, who aren't Christians, or who do not hold Christian values? Is it right to impose upon them our religious beliefs? Is it right to frame our laws around those beliefs? Don't they, as humans in America, deserve the right to live their lives according to their own values and not those of someone else? (As long as they are posing no physical harm or threat to others, of course) By passing Prop 8, we have imposed our Christian values onto those who do not share them. That is wrong from an American political point of view as I previously discussed, and it is wrong from a Christian standpoint, which I will now explore.

Christians are called to show God's love to all people and to reach out to those who are in need of His saving grace. As a Christian, Jesus is my perfect example of how I should live my life and interact with others. For those who don't have Jesus yet, we as Christians are all they get to see of Him. Jesus made right and wrong very clear, but everything He did, He did in love, never forcing anything on anyone; He always gave people the opportunity to choose the right thing. If we as Christians are forcing our beliefs onto others, other who don't know anything about Jesus except what they see in us, why would they want Him? Nobody likes a dictator.

The God I serve is the farthest thing from a careless dictator, but how would anyone know that by the way so many of us have been acting? It should be our mission to befriend homosexuals (and non-Christians, in general) and love them and show them the heart of God and give them the opportunity to understand and to choose Jesus. We shouldn't just tell them or try to force them to conform to our beliefs; Jesus never would have done that.

So no matter which way I look at it, I did a very hypocritical thing by voting Yes on Prop 8. But if I was given the chance to go back in time and change my vote, I most likely would not change it. What does that say about me as a person in light of what I just explained? As a Christian? As a person who believes in freedoms and choices and that everyone deserves them? That is an entirely different blog altogether...one that I will probably never write. But I will say that I still have a LOT of growing to do.


http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html (Jefferson's letter)

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/church-state/decisions.html
(Supreme Court rulings)

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/003-wife-beating.htm (Quran text)