Separation of Church and State

August 8, 2007, 3:45 PM

Ok we can fall on either side of the fence here, as it deals with two diffrent issues. This kinda seals with evolution vs creation, but involves teaching them side by side. So what do you as the people think, should these issues be kept seprate as already is, or taught side by side?

August 8, 2007, 3:52 PM

I think one of the graetest accomplishments in American history is when they took away mandatory prayer in schools. Let people decide on their own whether or not God exists; don't force it upon people. We have churches set aside for believers and that is EXACTLY where prayer should stay. The next thing we need to take away is the mandatory salute to the American flag for elementary school students.

August 9, 2007, 6:16 PM

Let me just start off by saying yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! I don't care what religion this country was founded on, nor do I care what the majority of people worship now a days. The separation of church and state is an inevitable act that must happen for the greater good of this country. In this day in age, it is preposterous to see someone forcing their religion onto another who does not carry the same beliefs. America NOW, and always has been, changing--drastically, and we need to accommodate to our present AND future. We are a mix of everything yet we claim that this is the land of the free. If anything, if the government refuses to separate church and state, we might as well change our motto to something more suitable. "Land of the oppressed," or "Come live here and have your rights stripped right out from under your feet!"

That's not to say I don't approve of religion and think it should be banned completely. I do believe that people should have a choice as to whether or not they want to go to church or do things that pertain to their religion. The key word being CHOICE, in which we (those of us who are not Christian and or atheist/agnostic) don't exactly have much of. But it should most definitely not be forced down our throat by a government we all have to live under and abide by.

August 30, 2007, 2:21 PM

Is creation a science? No.

Keep it out of science classes.

And with the Establishment clause and the treaty of tripoli article nine, keep your religion out of my government.

August 30, 2007, 6:33 PM

The fact that religion still argues with science over this very matter should immediately answer the question. There isn't really much of a middle ground for this topic, because we were either created by the Big Bang, or by God and so, unless God created the Big Bang, then it's one of the two options. Of course, there's always secret option number three, which we've not discovered yet.

August 31, 2007, 3:11 AM

I wouldn't say there's a third option, since we can only assume. I'd rather take nothing at all than foggy visions that leave you hanging. IMO.

But I agree with you guys mostly. Separation of church and state is necessary in a country like America. It's a melting pot of different cultures, nations, and people, so there inevitably will be a plethora of different, sometimes competing, religions that will sprout up in the midst of it all. It's all for the good since it helps keeps everything down.

Honestly, I think it depends on the nation and it's history whether or not I agree that it should impose a separation on religion and state. If it's a truly Catholic or truly Islamic nation, then there's no point in separating them since even the higher-ups believe in it.
It also unites the nation, appropriately. It strengthens resolve, and for last resorts, gives a cause for actions of national importance, like declarations of war.

September 23, 2007, 8:31 AM

I don't see why they can't get along, I believe the God created evolution. With today's science, evolution is pretty believable, but I am to a Christian as well, when you think it that way, it is pretty believable, and The Big Bang Theory

September 24, 2007, 1:29 PM

Faith contradicts science, science meaning knowledge, therefore faith contradicts knowledge.

September 28, 2007, 2:21 PM

That's true.

But how does that tie in to separation of church and state? xD

October 1, 2007, 4:57 AM

I am one of those Christians who is actually for separation of church and state.

My argument for it is that if we were to have a theocracy or a a government-sponsored religion, think of the corruption that could happen. I don't think the founding fathers separated the two to protect the government from religion, but rather the other way around. I once heard that you could "view religion as a garden, and view government as a weed or a vine. You must separate the two to keep the garden pure".

If the state were to sponsor religion, then there would be quotas and other guidelines that must be followed. I would personally rather hear a genuine sermon from a preacher than hear one that he was told to give by the state in order to meet a certain curriculum.

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And I just realized that this thread is actually about evolution vs. creation being taught in schools.

If a school wants to teach creation as well, that is fine by me. If they don't want to teach it, that is fine by me as well. When it comes to sciences, religion is taboo to talk about.
When speaking of how the universe came to be and how we got to where we are now, there are only theories. Even if we do discover things that we call "facts", nothing can ever be proven 100%. Newton's Second 'Law' of Thermodynamics may even be defeated sometime soon by a perpetual motion device (they claim to have one in Austria right now that can be shrunken down to the size of a watch. This would be a huge step for energy conservation), and even if it isn't there is still no absolute that the law is still true.
What we have to go on as to how the world was made is all theory. We have the "Theory of Evolution", the "Big Bang Theory", and the "Creation Theory". Not one of them can be proven or disproved, but they all are valid possibilities. If you wish to speak in terms of science, science is--in my mind--the quest for knowledge. We explore theories and try to gather data on them to make a good guess of what may be the correct answer. Evolution is still a theory, as is Creationism, but is it right to disregard a theory because it has ties to religion?