1 post tagged “belief”

I have a belief that the worst thing that can happen to any religion is for it to be adopted by the state, for it to become compulsary and taken under duress, to become a default and an arms of authority against which youngsters finding their feet will naturally rebel, pushing at it to find their own boundaries. It is a religion that has not been considered, has not been chosen, has not come to the believer through a decision of their own. In such a case, any belief is worthless.

If any religion is able to stand on its own feet and attract followers without resorting to punishment or favour, then it has made a stronger case for being something worth following, but whilst religion remains a tool of the state, the state cannot be considered impartial or democratic, and the religion cannot be considered a matter of faith.

In Europe there is a strong history of religion tied to the state and a modern disaffection that leads to fewer and fewer believers. In America, the state is offically separate from religion (and whilst in practice it is a wider division than seen in Europe in the past, it is not the pure secular state the constitution declares it to be), and in America faith thrives in all its forms.

Where would you rather live?