Mixing Politics and Religion

Persuasive Essay

Emmery
Mrs Post
Language Arts
April 2, 2012

Mixing Politics and Religion

Do you know why the first people came here? They came here for religious freedom, to be able to believe in what we wanted whether or not it was accepted by all religions. Now, the very thing that brought people to America is being threatened by the American government. Our very own government is telling us how to live our lives by telling us that we can not act and believe in certain ways. Religion should not be mixed with politics because it affects our laws, it affects people's religious freedom, and it allows people to influence laws based on their religious belief.

Even though God was purposely left out of important legal documents like the U.S. Constitution, laws are passed that are based on religious beliefs. If we allow government to be dictated by religion, laws limiting freedom of religion can be made. Opponents to laws such as gay marriage, abortion, and the death penalty base their opinions on the Bible. But is this ok for the millions of Americans that don’t believe in the Bible? For example, supporters of a ban on gay marriage use Corinthian 6:9, which is in the bible, to defend their anti-gay rhetoric. It says, “surely you know that the wicked will not possess God's Kingdom. Do not fool yourselves; people who are immoral or who worship idols or are adulterers or homosexual perverts or who steal or are greedy or are drunkards or who slander others or are thieves will not possess God's Kingdom”. Obviously, if a person doesn’t  believe in the Bible, based on this passage, they will think the law is invalid.  Laws were created in this country based on the separation of church and state, but laws banning gay marriage only have basis in religion,  therefore they are unconstitutional.

It should be against the law to pass any legislation that concerns two people of the same sex wanting to share the benefits of marriage, resulting in a violation of a person’s liberty and rights.   Laws concerning religion can affect your everyday life, everyday activities, everyday thoughts, and everyday choices. Now what happens when we have a very religious government?  Will we be like Iran who has based their laws on the Quran?
Religious freedom is guaranteed by the 1st amendment to the constitution. Do you remember 9/11 and its aftermath? Religious extremist caused the destruction at the World Trade Center. Their religious beliefs influenced them to take the lives of thousands of innocent people. As a result of this heinous event, muslims throughout america suffered discrimination because they were associated with the terrorists. A New York muslim and his proposed mosque near ground zero was being demonized by political candidates on August 18, 2010. Does that seem fair since a great many of them were born and bred in the United States? Today we take religious freedom away from people, and it not always easy to see. The religious freedom of New York muslims was threatened by impending laws which tried to restrict them from building a mosque near ground zero. And it doesn’t end there as women's’ rights are constantly threatened when the abortion law is challenged in our court system.
Politicians often use religion to manipulate their actions in government. I am not saying that religion is corrupt, what I am saying is that the way politicians use the support of religious establishments to further their causes in government is corrupt. Let me ask you a question, are you comfortable with an atheist president? Well I am here to tell you that 67% of voters are not, that is more than half. Do you know what that says? It means, 67% of voters are religious and are uncomfortable with an atheist president because they do not believe that an atheist president

will make choices or laws that will go in favor of the voters' religion. Think about this; people
uncomfortable because they think they will not get their way. I am not one of those, and no I am not saying vote for an atheist president. I am saying vote for a person that will make the right
choice for this country as a whole, not for a religion. Some candidates have organizations funding them like Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola in Florida which funded Chuck Baldwin last year in the presidential election. This shows that a church can fund a politician so that the church can allow a certain religion to become part of the government.
Baptist, Congregationalist, Deist, Dutch Reformed, Episcopalian, Methodist, Presbyterian, Quaker, Unitarian, and Liberal were all religions that entered the president's position. The founding fathers well they were Deists, they believed that there was one God and that God set the world in motion and did nothing else.
Religion should not be mixed with politics because it affects our laws, people have the freedom of religion, people should not get their way through a biased government, and in important written documents God was left out for a reason. Laws based on religion are being introduced to the government. The Constitution never mentions the word God in it because the founding fathers never wanted religion to interfere with the government. In the Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Tripoli, and in the Common Law God was left out for the same reason. The First Amendment said Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion for the same reason. The Federal and State Constitutions forbid the government from infringing upon religious liberty or supporting religion for the same reason. John Locke said that every individual has the natural right to life, liberty, and property. The government has to secure the blessings of liberty and has to value and protect the citizen's rights. The Constitution protects individual rights, such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to trial by jury.

These documents are demanding that laws should not be based on religious beliefs and
everyone has the freedom of religion. Religion can affect everyday life, everyday activities, everyday thoughts, and everyday choices. How far can this topic go? I do not know that is for the people of the United States to decide. You do not believe in separation of church and state? Well, since you want your church to tell the government how to govern, does that mean the government can tell you how to worship?

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