Is American Separation of Church and State Realistic in Iraq?
I was intrigued by The Watcher's 8/2/06 post The Making of a Hero? Hezbollah's Staying Power in which he points out the intertwining of church and state in Muslim countries. The Watcher wonders if, given America's emphasis on separation of these powers, we can ever understand the Muslim mindset.
America was founded by people seeking relief from religious persecution. However, many early Pilgrim and Puritan settlements were extremely closed communities in which government by religious values was the norm. Governmental leaders used the wrath of religious fervor to condemn citizens who went against their will, going so far as to try them as witches and burn them at the stake. It is easy to see similarities in the Muslim community where powerful clerics use religious fervor to gain power and drive personal agendas.
Our founding fathers recognized the danger for abuse and exclusion inherent in governing by religious edict and dictated the separation of church and state in the constitution. America has spent more than two centuries working to maintain that separation but it hasn't been easy, the pendulum keeps swinging back and forth. Today we are experiencing a period of increased religious fervor and the attempt by some religious leaders to influence government. The Religious Right has become a powerful lobby in Washington and the states, contributing millions of dollars to campaign chests in an often successful effort to affect society. You see their hand in votes and laws defining marriage, limiting gay rights, prayer in the schools, the teaching of evolution in science curriculums, book bannings, television and movie censorship. The leaders of certain churches have taken the fight one step further, preaching for and against candidates or laws from the pulpit and on the web. Without the constitution to uphold separation of church and state, and despite the tremendous diversity of view and values in the U.S., it is possible to envision hard-won American freedoms being usurped by the powerful viewpoints of a few narrow-minded but charismatic leaders. With no historical model for freedom and in a homogeneous society born of tribal custom, this appears to be the state today in the countries of the Middle East.
Perhaps the American government is unrealistic to think a U.S.-style democracy can exist in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. Perhaps it is our very diversity that drives the division of church and state. Had we been a country of like values, might the need for separation of religion and government been less important to our society? Being an individual who enjoys and cherishes the freedoms provided in America, I believe in the necessity of separating church and state. I wonder though if it is realistic to expect the same dedication to this value of people with a different history and viewpoint. Perhaps an American vision of democracy in Iraq is unrealistic.
America was founded by people seeking relief from religious persecution. However, many early Pilgrim and Puritan settlements were extremely closed communities in which government by religious values was the norm. Governmental leaders used the wrath of religious fervor to condemn citizens who went against their will, going so far as to try them as witches and burn them at the stake. It is easy to see similarities in the Muslim community where powerful clerics use religious fervor to gain power and drive personal agendas.
Our founding fathers recognized the danger for abuse and exclusion inherent in governing by religious edict and dictated the separation of church and state in the constitution. America has spent more than two centuries working to maintain that separation but it hasn't been easy, the pendulum keeps swinging back and forth. Today we are experiencing a period of increased religious fervor and the attempt by some religious leaders to influence government. The Religious Right has become a powerful lobby in Washington and the states, contributing millions of dollars to campaign chests in an often successful effort to affect society. You see their hand in votes and laws defining marriage, limiting gay rights, prayer in the schools, the teaching of evolution in science curriculums, book bannings, television and movie censorship. The leaders of certain churches have taken the fight one step further, preaching for and against candidates or laws from the pulpit and on the web. Without the constitution to uphold separation of church and state, and despite the tremendous diversity of view and values in the U.S., it is possible to envision hard-won American freedoms being usurped by the powerful viewpoints of a few narrow-minded but charismatic leaders. With no historical model for freedom and in a homogeneous society born of tribal custom, this appears to be the state today in the countries of the Middle East.
Perhaps the American government is unrealistic to think a U.S.-style democracy can exist in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. Perhaps it is our very diversity that drives the division of church and state. Had we been a country of like values, might the need for separation of religion and government been less important to our society? Being an individual who enjoys and cherishes the freedoms provided in America, I believe in the necessity of separating church and state. I wonder though if it is realistic to expect the same dedication to this value of people with a different history and viewpoint. Perhaps an American vision of democracy in Iraq is unrealistic.
