Religion In Politics

I live in a country where Church and State are supposedly separated, but are they really? Our laws, customs, social norms, just about everything in our society is based on a religious idea. We are uptight about sex, why? Because our country was largely founded by Protestants and Puritans escaping persecution in Europe and they were uptight about it. All of our Presidents have been Christians... All but one have been Protestant. Coincidence?

I am not saying that we therefore live in a "religious state" the likes of Iran where a cleric rules the country. But, our laws are reflect a decidely Christian moral standard. Is this a bad thing? In the big picture, no. The majority of our country is Christian, and the fact that we do not enforce sectarian differences helps. It is definitely more livable than the days when you could be burned, hung, stoned and ostracized by simply thinking maybe Luther was more right than the Pope. All the same, we live by a Christian moral code whether we be Christians or not, and it is this moral code upon which our laws are derived.

So what happens to the minority of non-Christians? Mostly we are quiet on the topic of religion in general. Not because our views cannot be supported, but because over the years we have become tired of having to explain our beliefs to the incredulous majority. Luckily, most religions have very similar moral codes so we go along our daily lives without much trouble.

True, there are the "extremists" who want to twist and turn ancient words and misinterpretations to validation for their personal vendettas, but Christianity has had, and still has, their own fair share of those idiots. The only difference is instead of hiding them in a cave, we put them in the glass house of the Whitehouse for all to see.

Here's to the first Pagan President, and a Maypole on the West Lawn!