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Thursday, March 4,2004 -- Page 7
Should we separate Church and State?
From My Side
MALIA KALUA
Page Layout Editor
I had an enlightening conversa
tion in my CPR class. We smoked
cigarettes outside afterwards and chat
ted about politics in the cold. The per
son with whom I conversed is a die
hard Republican and 1 am a Democrat.
We still found common ground. We
both believe that separation of Church
and State is a must.
Religion, as defined by
Webster’s Dictionary, is a “belief in
and reverence for a supernatural pow
ers regarded as creator and governor
of the universe.”
From my side, religion is a man-
made concept designed to answer
questions that can never be answered.
For those who choose to become part
of religion, it is an end to a search for
greater things, but still optional. Gov
ernment, however, is never optional.
Every society needs order, laws and
guidance. Not every person within a
society needs his or her neighbor’s
version of God.
So why shouldn’t we want this
courtesy photos
A small Southern Babtist church stands freely just like theTentagon in Arlington on the edge of Washington, DC.
separation? If America is based on
freedom, aren’t the quintessential free
doms to choose whether to support,
give faith to, and agree with a group of
people applicable here? Why should
your morals, dictated to you by your
Sunday school teacher, be dictatee to
me and why should I abide by them?
Originally, people like Thomas
Jefferson and James Madison vied-for
complete separation of church and
state. Even though the Constitution was
signed in 1776, prior to the Revolution
ary War, 13 colonies still had dictated
“correct” religious orders supported by
religion taxes. Dissenters were discrimi
nated against, disqualified from holding
public office, exiled, fined, jailed,
beaten, mutilated, and sometimes even
executed. Could this get any more
hypocritical? Okay America, listen up.
(Ahem) We can all make our own de
cisions about religion, but if you don’t
make the right decision, then we are
going to despise your ability to stand
on your own laurels enough to banish
you from participating in our society?
All I can say is wow. Where is the free
dom in that Free America?
And since we are on the sub
ject, who does George Bush think that
he is, trying to pass constitutional
amendments to ban gay marriage? This
is the supreme mama of the clash of
church and state. He takes the morality
standpoint. Where do his morals come
from? Christianity. Why are Christians
morals any more valid than a Buddhist’s
or Muslim’s or Jew’s? They aren’t!
If you start incorporating religion
and politics, before you know it we will
be in the same shape as the Iraqis. La
dies, get ready to cover your faces, be
sold to your husband for a cow and a
piece of land and walk in his shadow
for the rest of your life.
If you are going to have Bibles
in school, you must also have the
Our’an, the Book of Mormon, the
Tanakh, and the Tao-Te Ching. If you
are going to say, “in God we trust” you
must also say in Jehovah, Allah or
Yahweh we trust too. Otherwise this
free America is only free when it comes
to matters that don’t deal with or in
corporate religion.
The Way I See It
DARRAN WHITE
Staff Writer
The discussion of “separation
of church and state” usually stirs up a
great deal of controversy. I find this
interesting because the term separation
of church and state is not found in the
Constitution. This catch phrase has
been used to draw political lines in the
sand regarding certain issues concern
ing the well being of Americans. The
Constitution simply states, “Congress
shall make no law respecting an estab
lishment of religion.” When it comes to
the topic of separating government and
religion, the way I see it, they are in
separable because the government has
become a religion.
Although the Webster’s Dic
tionary defines religion as, “a cause,
or system of beliefs held to with ardor
and faith,” and government as a sys
tem of, “authoritative direction and
control,” our government demands its
citizens believe in and embrace with
fervor programs that provide litde hope
for lasting security.
One of these failing programs is
Social Security. Although this pro
gram had good intentions, in its cur
rent form it simply traps people into a
dependence on government for their
needs. Government officials would
have us believe that, left to our own
devises, we would not plan for and
invest in our retirement. I say this be
cause we as Americans no longer need
to ask what we can do for our coun
try; we are told what we will do. This
should not be the case.
Americans should no longer be
forced to place their faith in the Social
Security system, which is neither social
nor secure. We should be allowed to
plan our own futures according to our
own research and beliefs.
I have spoken with people who
are on social security and they have told
me that, had they been allowed to in
vest all the money that the government
had taken from them, they could have
retired at a higher standard of living than
the one provided by “Uncle Sam.”
Since this was not possible, they are
forced to hold fast to their faith in this
abysmal system.
It is time that we, as Americans
demand our rights to choose to con
tribute to social security or invest in our
own form of retirement. We as Ameri
cans need to demand that the govern
ment stop seizing portions of our pay
checks for “social security” in the hopes
that a “savior” will manifest him or her
self in the next election. A savior will
never come. There may be some that
like the system and continue to con
tribute to it, but it should be a choice,
not a mandate from on high.
Our government has gone beyond
the boundaries of providing for the
common defense, promoting the gen
eral welfare, and securing the bless
ings of liberty. In its attempt to take
care of each and every need of its citi
zens, it has moved closer to becoming
the church of the United States.
Unti 1 we as citizens seek to change
the system, and prove that we can take
care of ourselves, we will never be able
to have a tme “separation of church and
state.” Keep in mind this is simply, the
way I see it.