The question that seems to be bubbling under the surface of things right now is the role of faith in society.
Now, in general they mean religious faith, but it’s a question that can be aimed at spirituality as well. The separation of Church and State is a must for modern Britain, we’re a multifaith society and one faith mustn’t have the ear of the government to the exclusion of all others. Also, decisions made by the Government should not be influenced by religious doctrine.
The role of Atheism is an interesting one, as some of the Atheists I see these days resemble evangelical fundamentalists, I see also an element of kicking apart a dolls house there. Fair enough, if they try to get creationism into schools and pass religious doctrine off as scientific fact, but the counter attack can go too far.
Trying to eliminate Religion from society, is certain to fail, the Chinese tried state enforced atheism and it really didn’t work. Spirituality is a different beast, for me it’s about working with reality, and trying to understand that all our different views are just roads up the same mountain, thinking less about the rules and more about the people.
We also need to remember, science can be a source of spirituality as well, it certainly has been for me
John G. says:
The seperation of Church and State was designed to keep the government out of religon, not religon out of government. A person’s religious faith, be it Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Atheist, etc., sits at the very core of a person’s being. We can’t expect people to “deny” who they are, or “put aside” their fundamental beliefs in some situations to avoid offending someone else who doesn’t share the same beliefs. A society is much better off and vibrant when people have the freedom to share their beliefs openly, and have the freedom to advance those ideas (persuade) to society in general. As for government, the US government was built on Judeo-Christian values. Thank goodness the founding fathers were not afraid to inject their values and beliefs into the political system. From there these ideas got debated, modified, compromised in some areas and finally enacted. Are we as a society so afraid of religious input that we would rather supress them under the flag of Seperation of Church and State, then let them participate in the free marketplace of ideas? What then you say, about the minority point of view? Do we risk offending them? I respond back, do we risk offending the majority instead of the minority? No. We allow the minority the same access to Marketplace of ideas for further discussions and we don’t force our own personal beliefs on them. I rather live in a society that embraces religious thought and participation, then a society that fears and supresses it.
18 April 2007, 10:47 pm