Jesus and Jefferson
Without the Protestant Reformation and the subsequent birth of the secular state, the type of religious intolerance and autocratic control that persists in much of the Muslim world would be the rule in Europe and the Americas also. Martin Luther's break with Rome paved the way for both the scientific revolution and the rise of democracy. It took years for people of different faiths to learn to live together, but once they did they created a society that was more egalitarian than any that had preceded it.
The complete and total separation of Church and State is the bedrock of freedom in America and in the West. Liberty excels when religion is free from state control and government is free from sectarian interference. Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. It's in the Constitution and it's in the Bible. On this one point Jesus and Jefferson were in full agreement; although I'm sure the two men never discussed the matter at length.
Very astute. It seems to me that the people in Europe today (or at least northern Europe) are not all that religious, or at least religion doesn't seem to permeate their politics the way it does in this country. It scares me the way Christian extremists have become more and more influential in American politics. We have elected a black person as President, but dare I say that it will be a cold day in Hell before we elect an atheist?
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