As I mentioned in Religion & Government - Part I, secular government has been trying to supplant religion for a long time, especially in the modern era. This was brought to the forefront in the recent decision by the California Supreme Court to allow "Same-sex Marriages". First-of-all, Same-sex marriage would be an oxymoron, because marriage by definition, is between a man and a woman (opposite sex). In a recent interview, Ronald George, California Supreme Court Chief Justice, reflected on a visit to the southern U.S. where he saw evidence of discrimination . Many same-sex marriage activists have tried to equate their "struggle" with that of the civil rights struggles of the late 1950's to the early 1960's. There were many "churches" that were involved in this activism, just as there are many "churches" involved in the Same-sex marriage activism. I think that this means their efforts should be discounted as unconstitutional, because there is not a separation between CHURCH and STATE!
Much has been made in the modern era of the constitutional requirement against the establishment of religion, meaning a separation of Church & State. There is no guarantee in the Constitution, just a zealous interpretation of the Bill of Rights (the first 10 ammendments to the Constitution) by a minority of judges & lawyers. The truth is that the government has endlessly tried to attach and co-opt each and every tenet of religion for its own gain and power. Take, another example: Education. Schools were long the domain of the churches and a proving ground for religion to extend the experience of faith & learning in a more fertile atmosphere than the regular one-day-a-week meeting. In a more agrarian society, the youth were tied to the family's needs of providing food and nourishment for the family. This meant that the farm work came first over education. Even the school schedule that we have today begins after the traditional harvest time and extends to the spring to take advantage of the fallow time in the fields. In our current "urban-society" the focus is more on the youth to become educated than to work; an emphasis on knowledge over experience.
Another example of government intrusion into religion is in the field of charity. Religion has always been the prime mover in the need to help those less fortunate. Government, of late has seen the power that comes with being the one that doles out the goodies to the poor & needy of the earth and has found that it can also use charity to buy loyalty, votes, and even favors through charitable acts. Government has made itself the sole arbiter of what is, or isn't charitable giving. There is something pure about one person giving of themselves to another as a demonstration of love. The government is loveless and its form of charity breeds entitlements and expectations.
Back to the main point....Is it the government's right to dole out the power of undermining something that is a religious sacrament, ordained of God, because a minority of special interests have enabled it? Is it implied that the government is able to go beyond its prescribed boundaries of influence, just because there is nobody to apparently stop them? And simply because a minority of interested persons asked them to? Is a minority of judges able to refute the vote of the electorate, simply because they are zealous to the cause? It is time for a leader to stand up to the tyranny of the special interests and their conspiratorial influences. It is time to demand that politicians hold the public trust sacred, and not scorn it. I hope that most people can see through the flattery of public sycophants and follow the eternal truths....but of course, this is Just an Observation.
