What Do You Think?

Okay, so imagine this for a second: a country where everything is done for the good of the people as a whole, where basic rights are granted to citizens without years of vicious debates riddled with hostility and anger. If something was declared beneficial, it would just be enacted into law, and people could decide whether they wanted to utilize that right or not.

Now, while that country sounds like a great place, it’s not hard to realize that there really is no utopia like this right now. Especially not the United States, where certain controversial topics like abortion and gay marriage have been argued back and forth for years, and regular people like you and me get snippy whenever someone with an opposing viewpoint decides to voice their thoughts.

Why is that? Why are topics like abortion and gay marriage so heavily debated, both on this site and in the world of politics? Why is abortion always in danger of being abolished, and why is gay marriage not legal on the federal level yet? I’m sure all of you are screaming the answer I’m going toward: Religion.

The main arguments behind why those topics, and more, for that matter, are so controversial is because they are considered morally incorrect in the eyes of certain religions organizations, and people argue that God (or any higher being the religion may believe in) would not approve of those actions.

But this country is supposed to have separation of church and state running through the veins of our government. Technically, these religious arguments shouldn’t have much merit in the eyes of the law, and yet they continue to be considered with great importance, and it keeps these simple rights from getting to the people who want them most. Continuing to hold some religions as more important than others (Christian morals are much more considered in the public sphere of this country than other religions, despite the fact that this country is riddled with diversity and continues to get more varied every day) just stifles the “Melting Pot” effect that this country holds dear.

In my opinion, if we depend on religious arguments to decide whether or not certain ideas should be enacted into law, then we are simply holding back our country from progressing and stifling the freedom of religion bestowed upon this country in the First Amendment of our Constitution. If we want to keep up with the rest of the world and avoid falling behind, then we have to start looking at things from the viewpoint of what’s best for the country, not what will ruffle the least amount of feathers. Because of our democratic government, controversy will always exist, but we need to think about the good of the people over what we believe is just. After all, why is it our personal place to dictate the actions of everyone else in the country?

So what do you guys think? Do you think that there truly is separation of church and state in our country, or do you agree with me? Or do you think the role of religion in government is not a big issue at all? I’d love to get a discussion going to hear what you all have to say about it!