ANSWERS: 34
  • May be on the doomsday?
  • Sure, its worked so well in the middle east.
  • No. There's always trouble when that happens.
  • No... I think it was completely wrong that in the last American election, Bush kept bringing up the fact he was Christian. It seems as though he thought if he said it enough, he'd get the Christian vote.( He ended up "winning" the election anyway.) Also, Kerry kept countering with "I was raised Catholic".... I don't think that either of their religions should ever have been mentioned. I don't think it was important to the election or the debate. Their religion was irrelevant. Why do we mix politics and religion? I don't know. They have nothing to do with one another. They shouldn't mix. Also, I think we all know what would happen if a politician said "I'm Pagan" or "I'm a muslim".....
  • No, because then government is used to enforce religion, and the religious rights of the individual are gone. Indeed, when religion and politics mix, political descent is elevated to heresy, and people die. (See also: Inquisition)
  • No, absolutely not. Then you have a government which forces its beliefs on others. Iran is a great example of why religion and politics shouldn't mix. Porn stars get the death penalty, woman have to dress according to strict adherence to what the government deems moral, etc. Actions against its citizens are justified by those in power who force their moral beliefs on others.
  • No, and it is obvious with the Christian right continually trying to have a say in government . The US was founded separating church from state and this rule should be strictly maintained.The founders did no want it and a massive majority of the population now doen't want it either.
  • No - it's a toxic mix!
  • No..politics and spirituality shouldn't mix. Religion is man made so politics will always apply.
  • The church of England is the state church and has far less influence than the church in USA seems to have! I agree they should be totally separate and would also say that it is important to have men and women of conviction as leaders of the country. Religious viewpoint should not be sacrificed in order to dis-establish the church!
  • No never.
  • no, because its against religion to lie. If your in politics, its your job to lie
  • it should, thats why we have anti-abortion laws, also the law against gay marriage!
  • I don't think so. I like and am very comfortable with separation of church and state.
  • absolutly not
  • If politicians subscribe to a certain religion then it should absolutely mix. If a person truly abides by their faith and they are running for public office, then their faith will drastically impact the way that they govern. If you are planning on voting for Mit Romney I hope that you look into mormonism to see what drives him. In the same way, if you were going to vote for an Al Gore type you should look into the environmental movement, because that is what drives him. In short, the answer isn't so much whether or not religion and politics should mix, it's whether or not they could possibly not mix.
  • hey, Bush made it work!
  • No, politics and religion should be two separate things. We are all governed by a parliament of sorts but we all have very different and diverse beliefs when it comes to religion. We had a Christian party set up in a previous election and was actually gaining some interest, until the leader of it was convicted for molesting his daughter.
  • No, unless EVERYBODY in the country follows the same faith, which is very rare. Otherwise, seperation between Church and State. :)
  • Absolutely not. From a Christian perspective, Christ set the best example when he refused to be crowned as King by the nation, and then when he said he was no part of this world and his followers were too no part of this world. Political neutrality. Religion involves personal choice and not tied to a geographic location, where politics are enforceable upon everyone based solely on their geographical location and national identity.
  • Never. Jesus said to be no part of the world and he withdrew into the mountains instead of letting people make him a king or ruler. They are two separate things and should stay separate completely.
  • Not unless we are willing change and ratify a new amendment in the Constitution.
  • It depends on which society you're talking about. I'm all for Buddhist influence in parliamentary democracy if the alternative is sheer laissez-faire capitalism. Likewise, the introduction of religion to politics has advanced societies immensely. The initial spread of Islam ushered in a golden era of scientific discovery which has laid the groundwork for modern scientific method, advanced basic human rights in places you would have thought unthinkable to do so, and this was all possible thanks to the introduction of religion to politics. You could give examples that have had the same results inferring Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and plenty of other faiths. However, in the modern sense, political Islam has been corrupted by extreme Wahhabism and political Christianity by... well... need I name names? My point being that the solution to societies problems lies in secular, green politics.
  • I don't think that there has ever been the separation of church and state. Just us saying there or there should be one doesn't make it so.
  • probably not but how do you expect to seperate them?
  • No. But they are starting too.
  • Why bring the apocalypse early?
  • Overall No. But you can't deny the fact that over 70% of the Nation is Christian. So whether you want it to or not, religion is going to play a paart in politics. The only real issue were religion will and probably should make a difference is on the topics of abortion and the death penalty. I'm Pro-life and I do Support the death penalty. Being brought up as a christian is probably why I am so Pro-Life. But yet according to my catholic school teachers the death penalty is wrong. So to me religion didn't change my stand on the death penalty and it doesn't really change my stands on anything else. But the thing that all politicians realize is that religion will make up some peoples minds which is why they use it and promote it to get votes.
  • Your question establishes no boundaries or guidlines with which to make a comparison. However, I will make the assumption that you are talking about religious institutions and governments. Religious beliefs will ALWAYS mix with politics on individual levels an even up to organizational levels. For example, my <christian> beliefs and core values shaped by those beliefs affect the political environment through my actions and speach, even if I don't come right out and say: "That is a Christian value and I want it to be made law!". My belief that murder is a heinous crime does not have to be expressed as such. I do not believe, however, that a government sponsored religion is acceptable, regardless of my personal affiliation. Governments, by definition, are organizations which exert control and influence over the populations they are made up of. To give a government religious power as well is akin to giving people in authority absolute power, and we all know what that means. I believe God, as the creator and the source of all that is good, is incorruptable. Humans, however, are most decidedly NOT. We have, in the United States, a nation whose roots go back to people fleeing religious, as well as political, tyranny. With that in mind, our founding fathers wrote that clause in the Constitution which forbids the establishment of a state religion. This leaves people free to decide how they will worship without fear of reprisal. Admittedly, our laws are Christian based, for the most part anyway. Murder falls under "Thou shalt not kill". Grand larceny falls under "Thou shalt not steal". Abortion falls under....well, let's say it falls under the same laws which allowed the Spanish Conquistadors in a Church sanctioned government to virtually wipe out the Aztec empire after "converting" them to Christianity and stealing their gold. Biblically speaking, Christ did not wage a religious war with the existing governments 2000 years ago. In fact, an example of separation of church and state can be seen when he answered the pharisees question concerning the payment of taxes: "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's. Render unto God that which is God's." In my mind, Jesus is saying that in the earthly matters of man, obey man's law. In the heavenly matters of God, obey God's law. In fact, nowhere in the Bible does Christ advocate nor imply that govenmental rule was what he desired. In fact, he takes great pain to point out to his <hardheaded> deciples that he is NOT here on Earth to rule an Earthly kingdom. His rule was to be from the kingdom of Heaven. So there you have it, in so many words. In short, I do not believe the government has any business dictating my religious beliefs in the form of a religious institution. I do, however, believe that people's religious beliefs influence the actions of their governments by their actions. And you?
  • At least in America, there is something we call "The Separation of Church and State" but I guess we forgot.
  • Never ever ever! lol

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