Cathar: «...but the increasing alignment between Christianity and the State in the USA...»
Bill:«religion is the US is voluntary, and of the lunatic variety that one's superstition prefers».
To me it's not a question of exercising your religion freely, but questioning the role of religious beliefs in politics and it's use to justify and implement political actions.Ex. abortion.
Without discussing this subject per se, when you see Mr. Bush using as a justification for being anti-abortion his religious beliefs, one wonders...
Is it possible to give such a simple black and white answer to this subject based only on YOUR (his) belief?
Why even talk about values?
And the penal system - The Bible gives them an easy answer, if you're caught robbing someone cut their hand - it's so simple.
When you see a graduate officer saying that God spoke to him and steered his hand just moments before going into battle, you at least find it amusing.
If in the past one could say that certain qualities lacked in a certain head of state, and it could serve as a simple explanation for some strange options, now this ever increasing mixture of religion with politics and it's influence in how a country views it's domestic and foreign relations, managed to attract some bright minds to their side and thus establish an official criteria.
This is where the the two sides are converging (muslims and americans).
In the muslim case, the political leaders are also religious leaders but not iliterate, on the contrary the form a group of people with high knowledge among the rest and can impose a certain view of the ideal society and values.
Bill when you say «the separation of church and state is well established», does this also means that just for having democratic elections a democracy is established?
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