Jessica Rogers
Feburary 6, 2008
2:41 pm
On Thursday, President Barack Obama signed an executive order to create a re-vamped White House through expanding religion-based and neighborhood programs. President Obama claims that no matter how much we try to separate the church and the government, change will not come from government alone. "There is a force for greater good than government." This calls into question whether or not individuals should be hired, or not hired, because of their faith. To this, President Obama simply stated that religious groups could not use the money that they were given to discriminate against others. This money will not be given to Christian religious groups, alone, but rather, every religious group. Also on Thursday, the President announced his views that no religion should be used as a tool for division and there is no religion out there that is completely centered upon hate.
While I applaud President Obama for his views on eliminating religious division and providing support for every religious group and not just Christians, I must admit that the idea of once again uniting church and state makes me a little skeptical. History has proven that the union between church and state has not been a successful one in the long run. While I have my own religious views, and I understand completely that President Obama is not trying to force any one religion on the citizens of the United States, I wonder if he will actually be able to make this work. However, religion can be a powerful tool when it comes to decision making, so even if it were not publically spoken, religion is more than likely a large element in what the President's, or any leader for that matter, ideals of what right and wrong are. But nevertheless, the idea of a publically spoken religious influence continues to make me skeptical, for not everyone cherishes religion. I think it would be best in the long run for church and state to remain separate entities.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/us/politics/06obama.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=religion&st=cse
1 comment:
I agree that the thought of uniting church and state is very threatening. It is important to make sure that every religious group feels welcome here, regardless of the president's personal faith.
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