The Separation of Church and State

Now I will say that history clearly shows us that when the Church and the State are combined both are corrupted and it's a bad situation for everyone.

By the same token it is my opinion that societies which are forcefully atheistic, such as China, North Korea, and the former Soviet Union, societies in which religion as a whole is largely banned, are just as bad for humanity.

Religion MUST be allowed in order for a healthy, free society to exist. I’m NOT saying that societies where very few people are religious are bad or can’t function, (though I can’t promise I’d like to live in one) but I am saying that faith in a higher power, and the philosophies and practices that go with that, should be left up to the individual person. So the question becomes what is the line that allows religion, but keeps the corruption of either institution at bay and ensures freedom for ALL faiths?

For one thing I don't think that line should be so far on the side of forced atheism as to only allow freedom of worship, outlawing practices and expressions of faith.

Because if that’s the case how can people of different faiths learn to respect each other if we are taught by law and society the subliminal message that faith in general is to be ashamed of and that we shouldn’t be open about that part of ourselves?

For another thing I think that idea is based on a small minded, petty, lack of understanding of what a religion is to the people that follow it.

For example, there is a ban on the hijab in public schools in France. It's supposedly to protect freedom of thought. But all it's really done is alienate the girls who wear it further from French society and show the French government as a bunch of Islamaphobes. Though it is technically a ban on “conspicuous religious symbols” and supposedly affects all, there is a distinction here. For Muslims, Orthodox Jews, and some Christians like myself, a headcovering is more than a “symbol”. The school administration can take a cross away without forcing a Christian to violate their faith, but to take a hijab off in the presence of boys who are not immediate family does force a Muslim girl to go against her faith; and given all the political anti-Muslim sentiment in most of western Europe when the law was put in place and really even now, I think it’s pretty safe to say that they are targeting one specific group here.  

But I really don’t think whether or not the person considers an expression of faith a mandatory precept of their beliefs should be the hinge-pin of whether to allow it or not in the first place.
For example if I was asked to remove my cross (and I was many time throughout high school) do I believe that I absolutely HAVE to wear it? No. But is it a reminder that I’m part of something bigger than myself? Yes. Is it a symbol of a big part of who I am? Yes. Am I insulted by being asked to remove/hide it? Oh yeah. Am I ticked off? You bet. Do I feel wanted? No. Do I feel respected as a human being? No.

I don’t think any employer or government should have the right to make a person feel those things whether it’s over a headscarf, a start of David, a Cross, a turban, Whatever the symbol is and whatever the belief is. America is a cultural, racial, and theological melting pot; in order for it to function peacefully we ALL have to grow up, throw out our petty prejudices and respect each other as fellow human beings.

We aren’t going to get there by hiding ourselves behind closed doors. That’s just a fact.

I hate to be a Disney nerd here but if it applies it applies.

“How can they respect my culture if they haven’t seen it?” – Pocahontas in Pocahontas 2 Journey to a New World

I also think that a World Religions class should be Required in all school districts in order to graduate high school. That’s not about indoctrination, that’s about gaining an understanding of beliefs other than your own in the hope that respect will follow and you Won’t be indoctrinated by the ignorance around you.