Of course not. This is certainly a matter where it is useful to look at the past. It has taken centuries to get a good seperation of it and it has had large benefits. Also, we can still look at countries where it still is intertwined with politics. It seems to make it only more clear it should be seperated. Why in earth should they become intertwined again?
Absolutely not. But it is almost impossible to seperate - when 'the church' is political, and political parties are populated with religious people. Both are partisan as it is. With out one picking a particular religious denomination, or a particular denomination picking a particular political party. Neither has to, anyway. I would say a religious denomination is suited to which ever political party best suites their needs at the time - and vice versa.
Politics is the general name of the effort to bring some semblance of organization and the rule of law to bear upon a society by a small number of persons elected from the larger population. With the free flow of ideas,theories and actions,we are thusly governed according to a basic set of ideas, ideals and guidelines known here as our constitution. Religion,at least here in the west,is now recognized as a personal choice between oneself and whatever he/she believes regarding existance and ones place in it.But as most people know and history has shown, religion has not always and frankly, is still not set up to allow TOO much personal choice if one is part of certain religious "groups". (personal choice is paramount in civilized countries-supposedly)Religious adherants will choose politicians that fit their ideas of existance and our places in it and seem to want those politicians that will in some cases,force their religious ideas on those of us by dint of law, with which many,many do not agree. As mentioned ,it has taken centuries to get separated from the close mindedness ,hypocracy,religious wars, political manipulations,and murders (my words)of powerful religions that controlled pretty much all aspects of life in past history. Not much free choice or freedom from religion then. A great leap forward,IMO,is that we have freedom FROM religion. I believe that politics and religion should be totally separate. Open political discourse is freedom. Enforced religion/religious beliefs whether by gun or by law is the opposite. Not to mention,science has flourished once out from under strict,conservative religious edicts and the world is not flat after all.
Have to say in the western world it seems politics are enforced more on people as religion these days. But yeah, that the seperation of them is valid seems evident
I can imagine few things that could be worse. For those of us whose ancestors came here a long time ago from Europe, most of them risked death in rickety wooden sailing ships on the stormy North Atlantic because they were fleeing countries with officially established religions. That should tell you how much they hated it. Combined religion and government have a strong tendency to corrupt each other to an extreme degree.
REPORT: Military Evangelism Deeper, Wider Than First Thought For US Army soldiers entering basic training at Fort Jackson Army base in Columbia, South Carolina, accepting Jesus Christ as their personal savior appears to be as much a part of the nine-week regimen as the vigorous physical and mental exercises the troops must endure. http://baltimorechronicle.com/2007/122207Leopold.shtml https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TME6X9LQ4y8"]Fault Lines - Evangelism in the military (Part 1) - YouTube
