Spring Break
Church and state need to remain separate
Gabe Kovacs
Issue date: 3/23/09 Section: Commentary
On March 5, our state legislature raised Bill No. 1098. This bill would've taken power from Catholic bishops and priests and given it to government officials. Luckily, many angered Catholics gathered in Hartford protesting the bill and the bill were pulled from consideration on March 10. But this event should not be ignored or forgotten by the people of America. Both state officials and citizens should know the importance of separation of church and state.
The simplest definition of separation of church and state is that religious institutions cannot rule over the government, and the government cannot rule over the religious institutions. Our founders outlined this in order to escape a theocratic system and make way for religious freedom. Not only that, they also defined that the government cannot intervene with the church on any level.
It is obvious that this bill would have violated the separation of church and state. There is no way to have total freedom of religion if the state government gets involved in church affairs.
The main purpose of this bill was to lower corruption in the church by giving financial power to government officials. Apparently, a priest was spending church money on a luxurious life instead of church-related projects. However, we don't need the state government to solve this matter; the people can do it on their own. Since it is optional for Catholics to give money to the churches, why don't the Catholics stop giving money to the corrupt? It's a simple concept; if it doesn't work, wouldn't the corrupt go to hell based on the Catholic religion?
However, this doesn't apply to just Catholic churches. If this bill were passed, no religious institution would be safe in our state. What would stop the state government from passing more bills denying the separation of church and state? Pastors, rabbis, and other religious leaders would be reduced to just figureheads while government officials take all their power.
Plus, this scenario would be a downward spiral. If one religious faction is hampered by the government and cannot break free, most likely, that faction would support the government suppressing other religions as well.
Also, what would stop the spread of this kind of bill going to other states? What would stop this from going from the state level to the national level?
Only the people can stop the wildfire of a bad law. Just as shown with the protest in Hartford that took place earlier this month.
The simplest definition of separation of church and state is that religious institutions cannot rule over the government, and the government cannot rule over the religious institutions. Our founders outlined this in order to escape a theocratic system and make way for religious freedom. Not only that, they also defined that the government cannot intervene with the church on any level.
It is obvious that this bill would have violated the separation of church and state. There is no way to have total freedom of religion if the state government gets involved in church affairs.
The main purpose of this bill was to lower corruption in the church by giving financial power to government officials. Apparently, a priest was spending church money on a luxurious life instead of church-related projects. However, we don't need the state government to solve this matter; the people can do it on their own. Since it is optional for Catholics to give money to the churches, why don't the Catholics stop giving money to the corrupt? It's a simple concept; if it doesn't work, wouldn't the corrupt go to hell based on the Catholic religion?
However, this doesn't apply to just Catholic churches. If this bill were passed, no religious institution would be safe in our state. What would stop the state government from passing more bills denying the separation of church and state? Pastors, rabbis, and other religious leaders would be reduced to just figureheads while government officials take all their power.
Plus, this scenario would be a downward spiral. If one religious faction is hampered by the government and cannot break free, most likely, that faction would support the government suppressing other religions as well.
Also, what would stop the spread of this kind of bill going to other states? What would stop this from going from the state level to the national level?
Only the people can stop the wildfire of a bad law. Just as shown with the protest in Hartford that took place earlier this month.
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