Government and Religion CANNOT be separated!!!

Government and religion must be separate if a country is to be free. When you get into legislating how people must think you are depriving them of their most basic right. A state religion is by its very nature the tool of dictatorship.

Religion and Government must be separated. Government deals with the possible and requires (to be effective) as many differing points of view as possible. Religion on the other hand, deals with the ideal and, by definition, is as single-minded as possible. As well, Religion has a very poor record at governance, tending to see differences in belief as challenges to the State. Best, I think, if they are well and truly separate

Historical models of the union of church and state are all disasters. Even in ancient history where religion and state are one, it led to an imperialistic propagation of the faith supported by the governments resulting to religious wars and mass killings. Though religious teachings are all basically good, it is difficult for men to internalize the concepts much less apply the tenets to his daily life.

In countries where the separation of religion and government is espoused, it is easy to see government having no hand at all in the way religion carries itself for as long as they do not have any infraction of existing laws. However, hardly would we see religion keeping its hands clean from the way government conducts its affairs. This is highly evident in the programs which government implements. When government takes the cudgels of implementing population control measures, people of authority from various religious sects come out to counter it with all their might. As if, they'd come to help the families with so many children cope with the demands in terms of food, clothing, shelter, education and disciplining each one so no one will go the wrong ways of the world. When government takes up measures to alleviate the social and economic standing of the country, again, the authorities from various religious groups come out with their pronouncements whether they may be supporting it or are against it. Religious groups have time and again been exerting efforts to influence how government is run although, government has always showed almost no hand in how religious factions are being run. Religious groups must start to learn how to stay out of government affairs. And, they'd better start now.

In my country there is an ongoing discussion to separate the church from the government. We have a state church that more than 80 % of the inhabitants belong to. I belive the church and state need to separate. I do not think it is right that the constitution states that children should be brought up in the christian faith, and that the constitution favors one religion before others. What religion one confesses to is a highly personal question - the state should have nothing to do with this. We have the right to belong to whatever religion, or denomination, we want. It is not logical the state should favor one. This discriminates thousands of people in my view.