The Case for Secular Government
Are you a christian or follower of another religion? Chances are pretty good that you are. If you are, I’d like to convince you of the need for secular government.
What is secular government?
Despite common misconceptions, a secular government is not an atheist government. The goal of secular government is not to get rid of religion, but to keep religion and government separate. This means that neither should have authority or influence over the other. By keeping religion and government separate we can guarantee the rights of people of all religious beliefs.
What might happen if church and state mix?
If church and state are mixed it hurts both. The worst case scenario is a government that would attempt to control the religious beliefs of the population. They may ban religion (yes this is an example of church and state mixing, if they were properly separated this could not occur because neither would have authority over the other), or force it’s people to follow a certain religion, or even a specific denomination of a religion. The teachings of churches, synagogues or mosques might be monitored and regulated. But even if that doesn’t happen, a government might exert pressure or influence to promote or discourage people from following a religion. The beliefs of a religion could also be put into law, forcing people who don’t follow that religion to obey it’s commandments.
As a religious person, why should I care?
Well, if you are a member of a minority religious view you should care because your religion could be discriminated against. I can see why people who belong to the majority religious view have a harder time seeing the danger, since they share many of the beliefs that are being favoured by the government. But you may not always be part of the majority, and unless church and state are properly separated you may find your religious rights under attack in the future. Furthermore most of the believers I know hold to the values of the golden rule and free will. By that I mean that they would not do to others anything they wouldn’t want done to themselves, and they think people should have the right to choose whether or not to accept and follow a religion. Since no one wants to be discriminated against on the basis of religion, it follows that anyone who holds these two values should be in favour of secular government.
Isn’t our government already secular?
There are countries that are less secular, such as theocracies in the middle-east. There are also countries that are more secular, especially in Europe. Our country is supposed to be fairly secular, but unfortunately there are many people in government and public service who do not recognize the importance of church state separation.
Is there actually any discrimination going on? Can you give me specific examples?
There is and I can. Take for example the public school system. People of all religions, and even atheists, pay taxes that go towards education. People of all religions, and even atheists, send their children to go learn, hoping that their teachers will only teach them facts and not personal or religious opinions which may contradict the parent. And yet very often, as I have personally witnessed, religious opinion and religious practices find their way into the classroom. This is especially concerning because children are vulnerable to influence and trust what their teachers tell them. Once again, this might not seem like a problem to you if the teacher shares your religious belief. But what if he didn’t, what if the teacher taught your children to follow the hindu Gods instead? You wouldn’t like that. Now realize that there are parents who don’t believe in your religion, and who feel equally violated when it is taught to their children. When school libraries only offer books on one religion, when only one religion is represented in prayer and other activities, how is that not preferential treatment of one religion over others by the government? When teachers offer religious advice to students, or give religious instruction, how is that not the government influencing your child’s religious views? It shouldn’t happen, but it often does.
So you want to take religion out of schools!
No, students should always be free to practice their religion and express their religious views no matter where they are. No one is going to ban students from praying or confiscate bibles. We just think it isn’t the place of teachers or any government official to promote or discourage any religious view.
But what about tradition?
Tradition is a horrible argument. Just because you’ve been doing something one way for a long time, doesn’t make it right.
But this is a Christian (Muslim, Jewish, etc.) country!
Even if 99.9% of your country follows the same religion and was founded based on that religion (which is unlikely), it doesn’t change the moral fact that it is wrong to interfere in someone’s religious beliefs.
Okay, so what can I do to help?
Your voice and your vote are extremely important. First of all, if you support secular government you should let your friends and family know. This will make people realize this isn’t just an atheist thing, it’s something everyone can get behind. Secondly, if you don’t want the government to influence your religion, your religion can’t influence the government. Let me give you a specific example to show you what I mean. Many Christians would like it if gay marriage were illegal, but when asked why they can only offer religious reasons. If these Christians succeeded in making gay marriage illegal it would be an example of the government forcing people to follow the commandments of a religion they don’t necessarily believe in. If you think that’s wrong then you have to make sure when you pressure the government on an issue that your reason for doing so is not based in your religion.
skepticurus 