Separation of church and state (secularism)

Some opponents of church-state separation redefine “secularism” as “state neutrality” to allow their group (among others) to get state funding. Others try to discredit it by conflating “secularism” with “atheism”. But it's a political, rather than a religious doctrine and its purpose is to help level the playing field in order to give a better chance for human rights.

In 1840 there was a classic collision between a secular state and a theocracy: No, Your Holiness, she is not a baptised Jewish baby who belongs to the Church. She is a tiny citizen of France and has the rights of any other Frenchman....

The strategy is clear: leave human rights on the law books, while quietly paying religious organisations to take over many state functions and exempting them from having to observe any human rights that they find onerous. There are now religiously run schools, hospitals and social welfare agencies of all kinds, even including prisons. Even state institutions which are not run by religious groups, such as the military, are having to accept and fund increasing numbers of chaplains.

Some people would like to take over society — at the taxpayers' expense. Here's how to deal with their faulty arguments (if you can manage to keep a straight face over some of them).

The unelected “faith leaders” of the European Union are successfully claiming the right, by way of prior “consultation”, to input into the laws of the EU.

♦  How the churches intend to increase their influence in the EU
♦  Clerics demand input in EU laws : text from the CEC and COMECE (2002)
♦  Now the Catholic bishops demand still more: text from COMECE (2007)
♦  Council of Europe endorses “religious exemption” from human rights (2010)

In the 1630s, when most of Europe was convulsed by religious wars, Roger Williams introduced and put into practice a powerful new idea: that there should be a wall between church and state. In the Colony of Rhode Island in the American woods church and state were separated and no one faced religious persecution. The wall protected "God's garden" (the church) from the impure world and, at the same time, gave religious freedom to all.

Until 1871 church and state were one in the Papal State of Central Italy. With the pope as absolute monarch, the Church had centuries to show the the world how to run a country in accordance with “Divine law”. Unfortunately, the Holy Father found that he needed a police state to keep his subjects from rebelling in the name of democracy.

“The increasing emphasis on religion and religious identities has led to the transformation of multiculturalism into multi-faithism’’ — and the ones who suffer the most are South Asian women. This is the conclusion of Pragna Patel’s important new study, Faith in the state? Asian women’s struggles for human rights in the U.K.

Susan Jacoby warns about faith-based social services:"many people served by these projects — including children with absent fathers, addicts and prisoners — form a captive audience. It cannot be easy to say no to a proselytiser if saying yes means a warm bed in a homeless shelter, extra help for a child or more privileges while serving jail time. Embrace Jesus as your savior and, who knows, you may get early parole."

How can people come to see as a problem those parts of their own traditions which trample on human rights? An appeal to something more important than cultural or religious tradition is a revolutionary idea. This account by human rights workers captures the excitement on first hearing about human rights — the same thrill felt in Europe two centuries ago, as among the women of the Côte d'Ivoire today: "We have rights!"

There are many kinds of religious law, including Sharia, Halakha, Hindu Law and Canon Law.  As both concordats and ecclesiatical courts make clear, religious law need not be officially enforced in order to seep out into society.

The secrecy vow serves to remove Legion of Christ members from the protection of secular law. Nor have Church law and courts helped, despite warnings and appeals to the Vatican over 50 years. The Legion is too useful, as it goes “where the priest can’t” and contributes money, influence and new priests. Cardinal Ratzinger is shown on ABC TV refusing to discuss the scandal.