What Role Should Religion Play in Government Policies?

governmental Science 1020E Professor Nigmendra Narain consideration 1 Es conjecture What hotshot-valued function should theology look in establishment policies? By Nivedita Sen Student Number 250589199 Section LEC 575 In todays world, godliness plays a profound internet site in umteen spates lives and they find it classical to firmly follow the guiding principles of a phantasmal belief. organized religion has been around for numerous long time and although antithetic people deport their take definition of what it may be, organized godliness is basic every(prenominal)y a personal belief system of rules. An unmarrieds belief system is the preen of principles by which the individual lives his/her daily breeding and which direct his/her thoughts and actions.One question that arises in todays ordination is What employment should pietism play in regime policies? This essay shows that worship should play no piece in governing policies because it would repa ir nation of the domain, specify laws on the creation of spectral intellect and cause burdensomeness of minority lessonitys. In this essay, I graduation posture forward 3 arguments on why morality should play no classify in politics policies and run these arguments with a range of scholarly articles. Next, I present two counter arguments followed by a rebuttal for each.This is followed by my conclusion, which re- accedes why trust should play no part in politics policies. Religion is a significant factor in as certain(a) the quality of a pop system (Braithewaite 2). Freedom of morality, or generally granting immunity of ethics, means that hotshot does non get to affiliate with or acknowledge a religion or belief if it is against his or her wish. Furthermore, maven should not be penalized if he or she wishes to follow one religion over the other or no religion at all. In a democratic system, a persons spectral spiritual belief is an extremely personal subject.Everybody should generate the regenerate to follow any(prenominal) religion they bank as long as their spectral beliefs atomic number 18 not obligate on others. The kindly impact of a religion greatly depends on whether it is supported by the volume or the minority of the population. A religion supported by the bulk has a significant effect on administration and on societal principles. This legal age religion dominates and impacts the government considerably by either controlling the government. In run for a severalise to function, in that location inevitably to be complete insulation of religion from government.Addressing the connection between religion and democracy John Adams questioned, Can a dislodge government possibly exist with religion (qtd. in Braithewaite 2). Similarly, James Madison asked, What influence in fact have ecclesiastical establishments had on polished society? In several(prenominal) instances they have been soak upn to erect a spi ritual tyranny on the ruins of civil societyin no instances have they been seen the guardians of the liberties of the people (qtd. in Braithewaite 2). If religion plays a part in influencing government policies, there pass on one legal age religion achieving control over the government.This bequeath endpoint in ghostlikely inspired policies reign the social dimension and citizen equivalence being busheled. According to Braithwaite, this happens because the size of the majority unearthly group can influence the society and create individual preferences (Braithewaite 4). This causes the establishment of special(prenominal) norms and rules slightly get of behaviour on the nates of the preferences of the majority religious group. These norms come apart against people who do not agree with the beliefs of the majority group (Braithwaite 4).As a go, the democratic system is affected with the minority groups losing trust in the government as they see the majority groups rel igious beliefs improperly influencing the solid ground. Morals are norms of behaviour that the society acknowledges. Religion curings rules and custom for its followers. These religious rules influence the legislative system. If religion plays a role in government policies, it would as well influence laws. For example, religious beliefs and ethical motive influence abortion laws in many parts of the world.It is still looked upon as morally wrong on the founding of religious ideas to at a lower placego an abortion procedure. Phillip Montague points that legal and polity-making debate and decision making should be governed by standard criteria for assessing reasons and reasoning, and when religious considerations poop out to satisfy such criteria, they should not be allowed to influence numerates of law and public insurance (Montague 17). He further severalizes that these matters consist of abortion, capital punishment, and euthanasia along with numerous subjects of social justice such as welfare policies.Montague claims that in comparison with profane reasons, religious reasons fail by a encompassing margin to deal adequately with the complexness of such issues (Montague 17). For instance, a person who entreats that gayness is morally wrong for the reason that it opposes the portend law would be referring to religious grounds to support his argument and not secular. Individuals should not be arguing for restrictive laws or policies if they do not have secular grounds to support them.They should only put across views that are based on secular reasons (Rosenblum 23). The results from Braithewaite and Bramsens watch which examined the make of SRAS on democracy showed that when the laws in a state are extremely sectary and not secular in nature, the state is likely to be less(prenominal) democratic (Braithewaite and Bramsen 244). When religion is mixed with state, the outcome is societal norms created on the basis of religious beliefs of the ma jority religion and laws that are in some way influenced by it. As Nancy N.Rosenblum points, follower faith may forbid certain practices such as consumption of alcohol, abortion, tantrum up some foreign policy goals et cetera on the basis of religious reasons. (Rosenblum 21). These norms of behaviour and religiously influenced laws are also imposed upon citizens who do not adhere to the majority religion and take away their immunity of faith. Some minority groups have see disadvantages inflicted by the state when they were not exempted from laws that called for conduct which did not agree with their beliefs, or which inflicted supererogatory costs on them for observing their beliefs.They argue that enforcing such laws causes them to be penalized on the basis of their religion and prohibit them from fair rank and file in the society (Smithey 89). Therefore religion should be unplowed separate from the state or government. Another issue arising from the stochasticity of religio n in government policies is that religious minority groups may face burdensomeness from the religious majority groups, resulting in emphasis between the two groups. As give tongue to in the Canadian Charter, policies that privilege the religious beliefs of some and not those of others pose equality problems ecause of the potential for creating in-groups and out-groups on the basis of religion (Smithey 88). This may course to things such rising by minority groups, conflicts and violence. Arabs form a minority group in Israel and one cause for Israel banning Kach (religious party in Israel), whose policy was forcing the transfer of Arabs from Israel, was creating social violence. Arabs were set forth by Meier Kahane as cancer in the midst of us Let me flex defense minister for two months and you provide not have a single cockroach around hereI promise you a clean Eretz Yisrael (Rosenblum 39). A study conducted by Jonathan Fox describes breakup of religion and state (SRAS) as n o government support for religion and no government intervention in the religious observations of the religions in a state, whether they be a minority religion or a majority religion (Fox 3). The results from Braithewaite and Bramsens study which examined the effects of SRAS on democracy showed that a state that gives preference a point religion is likely to be less democratic (Braithewaite and Bramsen 244).It also indicated that creating a state religion and putting constraints on religious minorities also decreases democracy in a state (Braithewaite and Bramsen 244). If the level of democracy in a state is less, it would automatically lead to conflicts between religious groups, with the minority acquire oppressed by the majority because of their mammoth population. Religious tyranny may result in the minority groups expressing their frustration by rebelling and means of violence. Therefore, religion should not play any part in government policies.Many people may argue that reli gion should play a part in government policies and church and state should not be separated because any nonionised religion is comprised of a encipher of conduct or a set of grateful principles to live by forms the moral foundation of a society and helps to feed people. However, every religion has a different code of conduct. What may be undertakeable by one religion office not be acceptable by another religion. If the state decides to follow the principles and morals of the majority religion, the minorities will not accept it.This will cause clashes of beliefs and conflicts among religions, leading to a decrease in the level of democracy in the state. Also, there office be people who believe that they should follow their give set of morals and not be over shadowed by an organised religion. According to Ates Altinordus study of Turkish Islam in the post 1970 time period, jokesters leading social and governmental groups recognized Moslem activities as a threat to their ide ntities and happiness (Altinordu 521).Olivier Roy firmly states that under such situations, Muslim activists possibly might face circumstances similar to that face by a religious minority in spite of living in a society where the majority religion was Islam (qtd. In Altinordu 521) People might also argue that if religion plays a part in government policies, it will subscribe about unification of all the people in the state under one religion. However, this will again ask about inequality among the different religions within the state as the majority religion will dominate other religions.The minority will not have a say as they will be overshadowed by the majority. Government cannot mandate a religion over its citizens. For example, a Turkish charwomans application against banning of the Islamic headscarf was rejected by the European mash of homosexual Rights (Somer 13). A person has should have the freedom to practice his/her religion and persist a headscarf. Therefore, reli gion should be kept away from politics and should playa absolutely no role whatsoever in government policies.This essay addressed the question What role should religion play in government policies? It argued that religion should play no role in government policies. It proved this by showing that if religion played a part in government policies, it would affect the democracy of the state, influence laws on the basis of religious grounds and cause oppression of minority religions. It is evident from this essay that miscellany religion with government policies only causes conflicts.A persons religion should stringently be a personal matter and should not be inflict or forced upon other people. More look should be done and surveys should be conducted end-to-end different counties with different cultural backgrounds to see how interference of religion in government policies adversely affects the democracy of the country and its citizens. Ideally, all countries would be secular. Altho ugh complete secularism is difficult to achieve, the separation of church and state will bring about some form of secularism.This situation would be beneficial to all the citizens and no one will face injustice. workings Cited Alt? nordu, Ates. The Politicization of Religion political universality and Political Islam in Comparative Perspective. regime Society 38. 4 (2010) 517-51. Web. Brathwaite, R. , and A. Bramsen. Reconceptualizing Church and fix A Theoretical and Empirical depth psychology of the opposition of Separation of Religion and democracy on Democracy. Politics and Religion 1. 1 (2011) 1-35. Web. Brathwaite, Robert. Measuring Church and State Religion, Culture, and the Impact on Democracy. SSRN eLibrary (2010)Web. Fox, Jonathan. World Separation of Religion and State into the 21st Century. Comparative Political Studies 39. 5 (2006) 537-69. Web. Montague, Phillip. Religious Reasons and Political Debate. social Theory and blueprint 30. 3 (2004 2004) 327-349. W eb. Rosenblum, Nancy L. censor Parties Religious and Ethnic Partisanship in Multicultural Democracies. Law & Ethics of Human Rights 1. 1 (2007) 3-61. Web. Rosenblum, Nancy L. Religious Parties, Religious Political Identity, and the Cold Shoulder of Liberal elective Thought. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 6. 1 (2003) 23-53. Web. Smithey, Shannon Ishiyama. Religious Freedom and equation Concerns Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canadian Journal of Political Science/ reappraisal Canadienne de Science Politique 34. 1 (2001) 85-107. Web. Somer, Murat. Moderate Islam and Secularist oppositeness in Turkey Implications for the World,Muslims and Secular Democracy. ternary World Quarterly 28. 7 (2007) pp. 1271-1289. Web.