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Personally, I think government needs to be less religious and way more spiritual.

What role should religion play in government.?

absolutely none. religion does not belong in politics and politics does not belong in religion. period end of story.

As long as people associate "morals" with religion in some way shape or form religion is going to be a part of Govt.

But politics is an essential part of religion...all religions use it.

Government should be spiritual. Thats what gives the US constitution and the Dec. of Independance so much power. They are written with extreme spiritual overtones, wheather you believe these overtones are provided by gods, spirits, forces, or intellectualism.

the declaration of independence was written with spiritual overtones yes, so was the constitution, however morals are not tied to religion in society the way they were then. if the founding fathers were here today they would not be christians nor muslims. the only thing close to what they were are agnostics. spiritualism is not what gives those documents their power, we give them that power. we the people. and i am a christian so there you have it. i see god where i see god and spiritualism, government is not one of those places.

Originally posted by BuzzKiller
the declaration of independence was written with spiritual overtones yes, so was the constitution, however morals are not tied to religion in society the way they were then. if the founding fathers were here today they would not be christians nor muslims. the only thing close to what they were are agnostics. spiritualism is not what gives those documents their power, we give them that power. we the people. and i am a christian so there you have it. i see god where i see god and spiritualism, government is not one of those places.

I agree with you that the founding fathers were not be Christians today...but the power remains. spiritualism, (a concept of higher authority, not associated with any sepecific religious or non-religious dogma) is a great powerful tool. Jefferson used it, as did Lincoln, TR, and FDR. I'd like to see more of that back in governent.

Presidents who use relgion (*ahem* Bush) suck.

I'm athiest and I see god no where, but I'm spiritual and would like to see more of it in government.

Originally posted by Alliance
Personally, I think government needs to be less religious and way more spiritual.

What role should religion play in government.?

I believe that religion shapes a persons opinions. Given this, I do not believe that it can be separated from those in government. I believe that these men need to be capable of seeing and acknowledging other perspectives and opinions, and make decisions that compromise between the various beliefs. Given this, religion should play some role in government in that the desires of people that are religious deserve as much acknowledgement and consideration as the desires of those that are not religious. A balance needs to be maintained.

It is my opinion that there is no balance on the scale of religion. Those that make governmental decisions swing too far either in favor of absence of religion or too far in favor of a specific religion that they prescribe to. Religion should have some influence, but it should not be the deciding factor.

The problem with U.S. government today is that politicians are narrow minded and seem to view their opinions as right and they believe that those opinions are why they were elected, and so they do not compromise on their opinions when they should.

I believe that G.W. Bush is an excellent example of this. His decisions are based in Christian ideology and it is difficult for him to compromise because he lacks the understanding that even though a strong Christian support put him in office, he still represents everyone else as well. In short he's an idiot.

If by religion you mean Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sihkism and all the rest, than no, it shouldn't be in politics. If by religion you mean organised beliefs, then the answer is still no, anything that associated with the word religion should stand clear of polotics.

i dont believe thats true.

Originally posted by lord xyz
If by religion you mean Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sihkism and all the rest, than no, it shouldn't be in politics. If by religion you mean organised beliefs, then the answer is still no, anything that associated with the word religion should stand clear of polotics.

I do not remember your religious stance, what is it?

Originally posted by Regret
I do not remember your religious stance, what is it?
He's Atheist... and incredibly aggravating.

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/6797/sign7bz.png

Originally posted by BuzzKiller
absolutely none. religion does not belong in politics and politics does not belong in religion. period end of story.

Indeed, and the interesting thing is, one often incorporate the other into its ideology, at some level or another.

Marxism excluded.

I don' t think that religion has a lot to offer government, and can help improve the way government works.

Originally posted by Storm
I don' t think that religion has a lot to offer government, and can help improve the way government works.

Honestly, people hear "religion" and "government" in the sentance and spaz out.

Religion and government have a lot to offer eachoter. We've seen what religion does when it co-opts a political system. The Vatican is a good example of this.

I dont believe the government should endorse andy religoin or religoin at all.

But i think that government desperately needs more spirituality, a sense of a moral higer authority behind it. Some source of passion and vigor that it is massively lacking.

Originally posted by Storm
I don' t think that religion has a lot to offer government, and can help improve the way government works.

The U.S. government examined the LDS churches welfare system to look for methods of improvement in the governmental welfare system.

I think that organizationally some religions can be of great aid to governments.

While I disagree with the doctrines of the Catholic church has maintained itself longer than many nations have, some of their methods of organization must work well and may aid in governmental institutions.

Religions are organized by definition, any government should understand the methods and systems employed in any successful religion.

I don't believe belief systems should be adopted by governments, but religions have other aspects that may be worth understanding and perhaps some areas in government should adapt forms of these other aspects.

Originally posted by Regret
I believe that religion shapes a persons opinions. Given this, I do not believe that it can be separated from those in government. I believe that these men need to be capable of seeing and acknowledging other perspectives and opinions, and make decisions that compromise between the various beliefs. Given this, religion should play some role in government in that the desires of people that are religious deserve as much acknowledgement and consideration as the desires of those that are not religious. A balance needs to be maintained.


I am fine with Religion playing a role in the Government. I think it's beneficial when Religious Services such as Christian Childrens Fund and services that provide food and shelters for the poor are present.

I am not fine with Religion dominating Government. I am very much against Laws being made to favor one religion's dogma. This country is not a "Christian" country, nor it is an "Athiest" country. We are a nation of Diversity, and that diversity needs to be maintained and respected.

For Religion to press that Laws forbid homosexuals from marrying each other, or attempt to destroy the pornography industry, to attack magazines such as Playboy and Playgirl, and to attempt to control media content is severely.....crossing the line.

Some people who are anti-religious go as far as to argue that Religion itself should be outlawed and have NO say whatsoever....that's completely wrong to propose something like that, as it would be just as hypocritical to do so as when Fundamentalist Christians attempt to suppress the idealogies and influence of non-Biblical sources.



Originally posted by Regret
It is my opinion that there is no balance on the scale of religion. Those that make governmental decisions swing too far either in favor of absence of religion or too far in favor of a specific religion that they prescribe to. Religion should have some influence, but it should not be the deciding factor.


I agree 100 % with you here Regret.

Originally posted by Regret
The problem with U.S. government today is that politicians are narrow minded and seem to view their opinions as right and they believe that those opinions are why they were elected, and so they do not compromise on their opinions when they should.



That's oh so right !

Originally posted by Regret
I believe that G.W. Bush is an excellent example of this. His decisions are based in Christian ideology and it is difficult for him to compromise because he lacks the understanding that even though a strong Christian support put him in office, he still represents everyone else as well. In short he's an idiot.


I couldn't agree with you more

That's 3 in a row !

Originally posted by Lord Urizen
I am fine with Religion playing a role in the Government. I think it's beneficial when Religious Services such as Christian Childrens Fund and services that provide food and shelters for the poor are present.

I am not fine with Religion dominating Government. I am very much against Laws being made to favor one religion's dogma. This country is not a "Christian" country, nor it is an "Athiest" country. We are a nation of Diversity, and that diversity needs to be maintained and respected.

For Religion to press that Laws forbid homosexuals from marrying each other, or attempt to destroy the pornography industry, to attack magazines such as Playboy and Playgirl, and to attempt to control media content is severely.....crossing the line.

Some people who are anti-religious go as far as to argue that Religion itself should be outlawed and have NO say whatsoever....that's completely wrong to propose something like that, as it would be just as hypocritical to do so as when Fundamentalist Christians attempt to suppress the idealogies and influence of non-Biblical sources.

I think we agree on this. I have issue with children not being allowed to pray in school or read their holy texts there, I believe this is similar in concept to the disallowing of legal homosexual marriage, just not on as large a scale as the marriage issue. My stance on homosexual marriage is that I disagree with it, but it shouldn't be denied by government. My arguments in the past are based on a hypothetical if I were to attack it, I don't believe it is the governments right to disallow something that does not impact others. But if I'm going to argue the topic I will argue it from my personal stance and not my political stance, unless of course I am arguing on a platform that will actually be a tool of change, then it must be an argument based on everyone's rights

Originally posted by Lord Urizen
I agree 100 % with you here Regret.
That's oh so right !
I couldn't agree with you more
That's 3 in a row !

Originally posted by Regret
I think we agree on this. I have issue with children not being allowed to pray in school or read their holy texts there, I believe this is similar in concept to the disallowing of legal homosexual marriage, just not on as large a scale as the marriage issue. My stance on homosexual marriage is that I disagree with it, but it shouldn't be denied by government. My arguments in the past are based on a hypothetical if I were to attack it, I don't believe it is the governments right to disallow something that does not impact others. But if I'm going to argue the topic I will argue it from my personal stance and not my political stance, unless of course I am arguing on a platform that will actually be a tool of change, then it must be an argument based on everyone's rights

I totally understand.

My personal stances are also very different from my political stances. For example...When it comes to Abortion I am personally against it, but not politically against it. Meaning I think Abortion is cruel, but I don't think it's so horrid that we should ban it. We should just leave more options open.



Originally posted by Regret

Thats not what anyone is saying.

Try reading points before you whack them.

Originally posted by Alliance
Thats not what anyone is saying.

Try reading points before you whack them.

The topic of this thread is "What role should religion play in government?"

The article I posted is an example of both the role religion currently plays in government, and the role religion should not play in government.

Try reading points before you whack them.

Originally posted by Alliance
Personally, I think government needs to be less religious and way more spiritual.

If you look, this is the first sentance in the thread.

People are so quick to say "no religion" and move on. There are many aspects of religion that I feel need to be restored to government. Spirituality chief among them.

Originally posted by Alliance
If you look, this is the first sentance in the thread.

If you look, you will see that you stated an opinion and then asked for the opinion of others. Nowhere did you ask others to address your opinion.



Originally posted by Alliance
People are so quick to say "no religion" and move on. There are many aspects of religion that I feel need to be restored to government. Spirituality chief among them.

What aspects of religion do you feel need to be "restored" to government and why?

Originally posted by BuzzKiller
absolutely none. religion does not belong in politics and politics does not belong in religion. period end of story.

religion has some things to offer government in terms of providing moral guidence , but isn't necessary to do so. unfortunately it seems impossible for politicians to do this without imposing their religious beliefs on others. therefor i think that america would be a better place than it is today if it had absolutely no religion . anyways, people can be spiritual or have a strong sense of moral guidence without having religion.

Originally posted by Alliance
Personally, I think government needs to be less religious and way more spiritual.

What role should religion play in government.? I agree. Spiritual would be way better. There is no trying to out do each other. It's a personal trip!!

It's a choice, not an infringement...

Originally posted by Adam_PoE
If you look, you will see that you stated an opinion and then asked for the opinion of others. Nowhere did you ask others to address your opinion.





What aspects of religion do you feel need to be "restored" to government and why?


yawn

Shut up....

Originally posted by Lord Urizen
yawn

Shut up....

Thank you for your productive contribution.

Originally posted by Adam_PoE
Thank you for your productive contribution.

Anytime

I aim to please droolio