Why do religious organizations butt in to the business of the state?
By SinfulRose
@SinfulRose (3527)
Davao, Philippines
January 16, 2012 1:14pm CST
This has already been a very old issue but I when I remembered how religious groups had the tendency to butt into the business of the state, it just hurts my head because I can't think of any reason why they would wish to create conflict between the two groups of people. (Though, that might not be the real objective but that's what really happens.) I think it is already clear (to some democratic countries that I know of) in the constitution that the state is not one with a religious group and cannot control religious practices as long as it is within the boundaries of the law and respects the Natural Rights of each person.
There was even this introduction to this show in TV where religious people emphasized that Religion and the government should be one. I did not listen to his reason afterwards because my brain is already screaming, "WHAT THE FREAK IS HE TALKING ABOUT?!"
The church and the state should never be one because a country would not be able to progress fast if there are any more debates that will go on aside for the ones in the debate room located within the government in order to pass a law. Though some instances where religious intervention on certain laws is needed, especially that involves decision making that affects Human Natural rights, it should, I believe, just be limited only to that extent and nothing more...I wonder about what you also think of this...please be open to share your own points of view.
2 people like this
8 responses
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
16 Jan 12
I am not sure about your country but here in Australia any religious group don't pay taxes, I think they should and seeing as they don't they should have no say in State business..religions in my opinion are just money making businesses and they don't pay taxes and should always have open doors if they were fair dinkum about doing Gods work...keep your doors open, help the poor and needy or pay taxes..
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
16 Jan 12
Religious groups should just focus on religion because it's their field of expertise. It is illogical to let an IT perform surgery on humans and doctors do accounting reports, no? Besides, it's only okay that religious groups don't pay anymore taxes than what each person pays the government what is due to them. Think for a second, where would these groups get the funds to pay the government for taxes? If you got the answer then that's the answer.
I don't know about in your place too. But here in the Philippines, the closest one who follows your kind of religious groups in being obvious to wish to get fame,money and fortune from innocent people is just a neighbor of mine who lives a few little miles away from where I'm staying and I so wish I can burn his house down that is so obvious that the money came from his followers...
@voracious (624)
• Philippines
17 Jan 12
You are right lilaclady, religions don't pay taxes in all countries but some of them are using their affiliations to back-up their own business ventures so that the government wont collect tax from them.
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
19 Jan 12
Why do people resort to that kind of thing, voracious? If they only want money, there are other and simpler ways, no? I wonder why do they even resort to that kind of thing...
@Theresaaiza (10487)
• Australia
17 Jan 12
I do not like seeing religious people meddling in the affairs of the government or worse, publicly announcing whose side they are on.
Politics is dirty, and personalities have different seasons. He may be good one day and bad the next. Innocent at first but guilty eventually.
The church must be viewed as something steadfast and should be doing its sole purpose and that is to spread the Word of God, and be good moral examples.
1 person likes this
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
17 Jan 12
Yes, the Church should be the role model of the citizens in terms of morality and code of ethics. They should remain true to their purpose and never stray anymore than what is necessary and what is expected of them. Let the lawyers and politicians dirty themselves because that's what they do. They should just focus on spreading God's word and doing/following God's work. If I remember correctly, God's work does not involve politics in the list.
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
17 Jan 12
Hi SinfulRose, I completely agree with you, religion and politics do not mix and religion should have nothing to do with government. Many of the early settlers in America went there for freedom of religion, and when churches and religious leaders interfere there is no freedom. Blessings.
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
19 Jan 12
How did the religion take away the freedom of Americans? Can you explain further? I had no idea that religion in some way took American Settlers' freedom in some way aside for the part about the colonists... (or was it termed as 'colonial'?)
1 person likes this
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
19 Jan 12
I see. If what my history teacher told me was correct, in Europe, you're either protestant or Roman Catholic or Orthodox...
Thanks for enlightening me!
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
17 Jan 12
I am a Christian, but I do not think that religion and the state should be one. I do believe that the constitution should be based on religious principals, as the U.S. constitution was. However, pure religion should be free will acts from the heart. Whereas, the state has the authority to force its citizens to obey the laws of the land.
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
17 Jan 12
That is another way on how church and state should be working together in a country. But never should the two be one and the same or it'll be another dark ages for us all over again.
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
19 Jan 12
Who made that prophesy? Where have you heard of it? I'm kinda curious to know. And yes, it seems many religious groups right now are very eager to pass certain laws that would give them advantage...I wonder why...what's wrong with the current law(democratic law)? I can understand the need to change a law if it involves taking away innocent lives or worse...
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
20 Jan 12
Ask Lotterylover. I've only heard hints too vague to tie to a certain person.
@lampar (7584)
• United States
16 Jan 12
A true democracy disallow the intermixing of religion and state, the affair of a free state is best left for those elected officials to handle, religion estalishments shouldn't infringe on the supreme rights of state institutions and need to respect the constitutionally established principles governing the people and a free nation not just at time of independence but also in long ensuing day and year ahead, any encroachment by religions should be dealt with seriously to preserve the principles spell out clearly in the founding documents of a democratic state. NO freak should be allowed to infringe upon the rights of all free people and the natural law governing all humanity. Period!
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
16 Jan 12
Are you a lawyer? 
In all fairness, I just agree with you. The reason why religion is religion is because it is different from politics in both spelling, meaning and function. Putting the two together only creates personal interest, religion becomes exposed to hellish deeds and politics gets more power from a certain religious group's followers of interest.
In all fairness, I just agree with you. The reason why religion is religion is because it is different from politics in both spelling, meaning and function. Putting the two together only creates personal interest, religion becomes exposed to hellish deeds and politics gets more power from a certain religious group's followers of interest. @kingparker (9673)
• United States
22 Jan 12
I think religion and politics should not be mingled. Religion can be misleading if it falls on the wrong hand of people, and politics can also caused disastrous events if they are not rightfully manage in the right direction. So, I strongly against the mixed of the two. I hope that people should understand better of it. And you can read from history, and learn the lesson from it. Especially from the century of religion take major part of the politics.
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
17 Jan 12
Well that's how governments started out. Think of how many theocratic monarchies there used to be; think of how many theocratic governments there still are today. Religion and government have always had close ties. But should it? No. Tradition is not a reason to keep things the same.
What do you mean by this: "Though some instances where religious intervention on certain laws is needed, especially that involves decision making that affects Human Natural rights, it should, I believe, just be limited only to that extent and nothing more.."
Morality does not require religion. My rights have nothing to do with religion. Religion did not give me my rights. Religion cannot decide my rights.
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
19 Jan 12
Ethics came from some religious teachings, don't you know? For example: The right to human life in government law came from ethics of "people have the right to live without the intervention of others" which also came from "Thou shall not kill."
By my point where "religious interventions is sometimes necessary" what I mean to say is, if certain laws that are being passed puts an unnecessary limit to one's natural right, example the right to live or even abortion, religious intervention is needed. Here in the Philippines, abortion is illegal because of human rights/natural rights. Anything that has life has the right to live. If you are going to debate that "if you think that a bunch of cells has life then you are wrong" please think again because that bunch of cells is made up of cells--cells that is living and has the characteristic of a living organism which is alive and has life. And if you are going to argue, "we eat meat or pork or fish that has life, why do we even kill them if anything that has life has the right to live", this will be my answer, "we don't eat human generated cell that would later turn into human beings" unless if you eat fetuses.(By the way, it's already true, there are already people eating fetuses and putting fetuses as commercialized processed foods. I wonder though if the private organizations concerned about this issue had successfully put a stop to this situation...)
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
17 Jan 12
How ironic. Building a religious group becomes a business that can make the founder rich instead of the other way around which is how things are supposed to be...
How sad that spreading the good news is being abused and used to commit something that is said to never do. And even using religion to get power in politics is just another sad thing that people are doing now...
