Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

Church and State

Church and State

Our Republic is a great deal more fragile than I think we realize. What we are seeing in Egypt, where a religious zealot won by a narrow margin and began acting like a tyrant should send a shiver down the spine of most Americans. The military intervened as riots took the country to the brink of Civil War. A secular majority arose in opposition, the President was removed and an interim government set in place.

There is a fine line between our religious beliefs and the notion that religious zealots are suited to govern. In the Methodist Church I have seen the ranks of church leadership infiltrated by “Do Gooders” who see the institution as an instrument to further their political and social agendas. Our religious institutions have a mission, which is to steward the moral growth and development of those who believe. It is that basic sense of morality, taught in the scriptures that guide us in our daily lives in the ongoing struggle to be decent human beings. As long as the church sticks to this important task and does not allow itself to become politicalized it serves an important good. However like all goods it is corruptible and easily used for a purpose it was never intended or suited for.

Our country was built upon a separation of church and state. While separate and vital to each other they are like water and vinegar. On the one hand the Church teaches and fosters a philosophy for how to lead a decent life. On the other it is not an institution intended to lead social enterprise. The church instills guidelines for human behavior and believers take these ideals and apply them to the imperfect world of collective social enterprise. Neither Government nor Church can exist independently however, neither is the substitute for the other.

When liberals scoff at the spirit like it’s a fairy tale they are seeing the world for what it isn’t rather than what is. The human spirit is amorphous. It is immeasurable. Yet from the beginning mankind has realized its presence. Indeed the very survival of corporate endeavor invoked the spirit in the constant struggle to survive the rigors of day-to-day life. Virtually every civilization had or has an institution that venerates the spirit. The truth of its existence is wired into our DNA and in times of great suffering an awareness of the divine sweeps over us and becomes illuminated.

I feel sorry for those who have never experienced the warm glow of a religious experience as we at last come to the end of excuse and quit trying to make deals with a power that rules the universe. However, believing in something beyond us is more than about comfort, peace of mind and tranquility. It is about discipline and training our rebellious natures to use the inclination of a restless spirit to do good in the world that surrounds us. For those who think Christ and Santa Clause are one in the same, the question becomes, if you don’t believe in the spirit than what do you believe in. Before we trash an imperfect and somewhat fanciful doctrine, one that guides our lives and feeds the humanity inside, think about what we are going to replace it with. If it doesn’t answer all our questions it does provide a moral compass and tests for understanding the difference between right and wrong. Look around and see the consequences of what happens when a basic sense of decency is replaced by a “Feel Good” set of personal or corporate values.