On Ethics
“The important part of religion is what you believe when you’re in your room alone, not what you profess to believe in a crowd of believers.”
— Hal Crowther, The Oxford American No. 73
Bold Ideas About Religion and Politics
We read in the Sermon on the Mount that we should “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The same text admonishes us to “forgive our debtors” (or those who “trespass against us.”) For me, this Golden Rule is the fundamental, guiding principle for a good life, and I do my best to follow it as closely as possible.
Our Founding Fathers were mindful of the fact that many early immigrants came to America to escape persecution, including torture and execution, for holding religious beliefs that were considered heretical or unorthodox. They felt strongly about establishing the United States of America as a place where everyone would be free to choose whether and how to worship. Thus, the First Amendment to the Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
As Americans, we have always been proud of our diversity. Our citizens include devout believers, seekers and doubters. We have people who worship in churches, temples, synagogues or mosques; others who worship nature; some who acknowledge multiple Gods; and some who envision God as dwelling in every person. Our inclusiveness and diversity have made us strong. Anyone is free to study religious texts or dispute them or research their origin. For many, these endeavors strengthen their faith; for some it may lead to investigating alternative approaches to living a decent, moral, ethical life. For all, however, the ability to define one’s own beliefs is a fundamental freedom guaranteed by the Constitution.
Because Americans are free to choose what they believe, religion in our country is essentially a very private, personal matter. While individuals and families may consider religion to be of critical importance, religion has no place whatsoever in politics. In fact, in areas of the world where there is limited or no religious freedom, there is often extreme persecution, violence and even war.
The historical tendency of beliefs to trigger such strong reactions is actually pretty strange. Most of us would tend to agree that there are practical truths, perhaps we could call them “truths of nature,” on which our beliefs have no discernible effect. Gravity. Sunrise. Photosynthesis. Dogs bark and Monarch butterflies head south in the fall. Whether or not I believe in those things neither affects them, nor your choices among such beliefs. In fact, beliefs are such an interior matter, that nothing we believe has any necessary effect on what others believe. Nor does what we claim to believe necessarily reflect what we actually believe.
Strict separation of church and state protects your church from intrusion by government and protects your beliefs from others who might want to tell you how to worship.
I am an active member of the Unitarian-Universalist Church and understand that churches can play a very important role in the life of the community. Churches bring people together, offer fellowship, help people in need, offer solace and, among many other things, provide counsel and support for those experiencing illness, loss and other devastating life events.
