or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
By allowing one religion or sect to display artifacts or requiring a particular religion's prayer, one prohibits the free exercise of other religions.
When I'm confronted by artifacts on public grounds, the government is supporting and promoting that religion. By virtue of the support, they have also suppressed the right of another religion(s).
Therefore the government should not control the religion, nor should the religion control the government.
A clear example of an emerging democracy, incubated by the US, is Iraq. The US position is that the government and the constitution shall not be based on the religion of Islam. Even though the majority of Iraqis are Islamic. But clearly the US can see that conflict would arise between the Sunnis, the Kurds and the Shiites. Three separate religions, and if one is allowed to dominate the government, then the country would likely end up in a war.
Ethnicly they are divided further into Arabs, Kurds, Turkomans, Assyrians, Iranians, Lurs, and Armenians.
Allowing religion into this emerging democracy would no doubt mean that the country would not survive as a democracy.
The wisdom of today as applied in Iraq is the same wisdom of our forefathers called upon when they designed our government.
Keep religion out of government. Keep Government out of religion.
Orca |
