Why separation of Church and State is important

Surfing the internet, I found a story that gave me pause because it dealt with the problems that come from having your government allied with your most powerful religious institution. This time it's in Ireland. And it is shocking to read tthat yet another child abuse scandal is rocking the Roman Catholic Church. According to the BBC:

Victims of child abuse at Catholic institutions in the Irish Republic have expressed anger that a damning report will not bring about prosecutions. The report, nine years in the making and covering a period of six decades, found thousands of boys and girls were terrorised by priests and nuns. Government inspectors failed to stop beatings, rapes and humiliation...The five-volume study concluded that church officials encouraged ritual beatings and consistently shielded their orders' paedophiles from arrest amid a "culture of self-serving secrecy". The commission found that sexual abuse was "endemic" in boys' institutions, and church leaders knew what was going on. ...It also found physical and emotional abuse and neglect were rife in some institutions... Schools were run "in a severe, regimented manner that imposed unreasonable and oppressive discipline on children and even on staff". It found the Department of Education had generally dismissed or ignored complaints of child sexual abuse and dealt inadequately with them.

Summary of findings from the Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse (105Kb)

Something like that couldn't happen here you say. Well may be not but the words below were taken from the web page of the Republican National Committee.

We affirm every citizen’s right to apply religious values to public policy and the right of faith-based organizations to participate fully in public programs without renouncing their beliefs, removing religious objects or symbols, or becoming subject to government-imposed hiring practices. Forcing religious groups to abandon their beliefs as applied to their hiring practices is religious discrimination.

This is from the web page of my City Council Woman, Jackie Sullivan.

In 2002, the Bakersfield City Council voted in favor of proudly and prominently displaying the national motto of the United States of America, "In God We Trust", in the City Council Chambers. Jacquie Sullivan was the lead councilmember in this effort, and she considers it to be her most important accomplishment since she has been in elected office.

In 2004, Councilmember Sullivan organized "In God We Trust - America", a non-profit organization. The goal is to encourage other cities across America to follow Bakersfield's lead..

In a way, it does not seem fair to take an incident in Ireland and then use it as an argument about important domestic issues such as Americans using their religious beliefs to shape public policy and the separation between church and state.

Perhaps it is fair to make such comparisons after all. Tonight I was watching the re-run of last night's The Colbert Report. Colbert leads off with a spoof the GQ story about the incompetence of Donald Rumsfeld. The sexy stuff is a series of intelligence briefing powerpoints which Rumsfield sent to the president. Each of the covers had a picture of the troops and were emblazoned with biblical quotes. According to GQ the one for n March 31, "a U.S. tank roared through the desert beneath a quote from Ephesians: “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”

So you boss, the president feels he's on a mission from God to get Saddam Hussein, the man who tried to kill his father. What better way to curry favor than to give him presentations with biblical quotes that flatter him into thinking he's a 21st Century version of Richard the Lionheart. Maybe bible quotes on intelligence briefings are not that important. Perhaps I'm being petty about Republican Party's belief that government shouldn't interfere with the hiring practices of faith-based organizations or Jackie Sullivan's attempts to get "In God We Trust." prominently displayed at Bakersfield City Council meetings. Then you read how the Irish Department of Education allowed child abuse in in Catholic Charities it was supposed to supervise.

I do not advocate removal of religious belief from the American public life. I know that my faith guides many of my political beliefs and actions. But I am aware that I should careful when mixing my faith with my politics. Good and bad things can come from such actions. I think the founders of the republic were wise to be wary about cosy relationships between Church and the state. If you read the summary of the Commision of to Inquire into to Child Abuse you can understand why I think that caution in this matter is both necessary and wise.

Capitano Tedeschi

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