Dear Josephus,

Separation of religion and state are desirable and, I believe, necessary for a healthy democracy. In ancient Athens the great philosopher, Socrates, was condemned to death. One of the charges against him was impiety toward the gods. Lack of that separation flawed Athenian democracy.

Baptists were persecuted by the Church of England. Perhaps, the Baptist minister, Roger Williams, was mindful of that when he coined the expression, separation of church and state, and presided over Rhode Island colony which was the first unit of government anywhere in the world which had that separation in its basic law.

From Barry’s “Roger Williams and The Creation of the American Soul, NY: Viking (Penguin), 2012”

"The Bay's leaders, both lay and clergy, firmly believed that the state must enforce all of God's laws, and to do so the state had to prevent error in religion. This conviction they held fast to, for their souls and all the souls in Massachusetts plantation depended upon it.

Williams recognized that putting the state to that service required humans to interpret God's law. His views were not fully formed-how Massachusetts dealt with him would itself influence their formulation-but he believed that humans, being imperfect, would inevitably err in applying God's law. Hence, he concluded that a society built on the principles that Massachusetts espoused could at best only lead to hypocrisy, for he believed that forced worship "stinks in God's nostrils." At worst it would lead to a corruption not of the state which was already corrupt, but of the church, as it befouled itself with the state's errors. His understandings were edging him toward a belief he would later call "Soul Libertie." pp. 3-4

Religious people may think of the state as inevitably corrupt and its union with religion as corrupting religion.

"My husband also annoys the heck out of me by pointing
out faults in things.....including at times what I wear."

The 300 Spartans were brave men. But a men prepared to critique a woman's choice in clothing is on another level altogether. Either very brave or suicidal.

Dear Josephus,

The religious beliefs of most of us are generally the same as that of our parents. The religion of our parents are generally those of their parents. For most people that's the way it is. Do you think that if you were not born in your religion (I'm assuming you were, but maybe you were not) you would believe in the Christian doctrines? I used to believe in the religion of my parents, but I began to question. In the army I kept kosher by not eating meat since the meat the army served was not slaughtered in a ritually correct way. We were in the desert, and the army had issued us C-rations which was beef stew in a can. The other soldiers heated their C-rations in their mess kits, and the delicious odor assailed my nostrils. I heated my C-ration and ate it. God did not punish me, and my belly was delighted. I started to examine my religious beliefs, and they did not stand up to my examination. I discarded them, and no other religion made any more sense so I discarded religion altogether.

Seneca was a wise Roman and he wrote, “Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.”

I think Seneca got it right, and religion is just another superstition.

david f, I do not follow the religion of my parents - they would be horrified to know my stance. I do not follow cultural rules of a religion, I relate my self in spirit to my Creator, who i accept as a genius, into whose image we were made. You might believe you were made by random events I do not.

mhaze,

My husband knows me well. He knows that
like the Spartan women - I am independent-minded.
And like them I enjoy and have more freedoms
and power than my counterparts. (smile).

There is no politics that is values free, they all hinge on the values held by the ones leading the Nation. Even atheistic Marxism upholds their values in laws. All political systems have flaws, some more inhumane than others. David has not given a country whose system satisgies all citizens.