This includes everyone. One individual or church must not put their belief as a matter for the State to observe nor for others to follow.
The church is under God and the state is under God. Therefore the church stands before God and the state stands before God. These are entirely different majesteriums, don't you think? For this, the church must not impinge into the rights and prerogatives of the state nor the state impinge into the rights and prerogatives of any church.
What should be then the basis for say, the prosecution of pedophiles? That is a valid function under the state. How about the insistence of the state to allow gays to adopt kids? Should the state conduct marriages within the model of any religious organization? Once upon a time, marriages in ancient Rome had the semblance of a local community phenomenon as observed in common culture and nothing more unlike what we have today as a legal document.
We need the ground rules for observance that lay the framework for separation of church and state. Personally, I do not consider that churches should receive any form of tax money or subsidy. Marriage should be cultural and any church should not dictate how couples should live together nor state whatever regarding dissolution or annullment of marriages. This is a matter of conscience between two consenting parties and in a way affected by culture and norms in that community.
Just to broaden the framework of this issue.
Posted on Feb 7, 2007, 7:21 PM from IP address 203.131.139.86
