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Following our Founders' Vision
by Janet Brazill
| What promotes cohesion in a group? |
During a discussion of the situation at the Air Force Academy, the suggestion was raised that the cohesion of the military unit was a necessary thing to create a perfect fighting unit, and that the imposition of a commander's religious views on his unit would contribute to this goal. Cadets who may have other beliefs should simply suspend their personal convictions for the sake of the group. |
This is the type of thinking that dominated the governments of Europe before the views of the Enlightenment helped create the Constitution of our own country. Whichever religion reflected the views of the majority, or more likely, whichever religion had managed to entangle itself enough with civil authority to gain the reins of power, declared itself the religion of the land - to be followed upon threat of ostracism, or even, in some cases, pain of death. |
Our Founding Fathers, keen students of both history and philosophy, determined to follow a different course. Government would be limited to a secular role, establishing no state religion. Churches and other religions would be free from governmental control, with citizens allowed to exercise their individual consciences freely within the limits of the law. This concept represented a giant leap forward, because it put all belief systems on an equal footing so far as government was concerned, advancing the ethic of "mutual respect." |
After more than two-hundred years, we can evaluate the results and understand the wisdom of our Constitution's authors. Our country has a variety of religious beliefs and non-beliefs all coexisting, respecting each other so long as each honors the religious liberty of others. Healthy criticism is heaped on any religion attempting to use the powers of government to impose its doctrine on all citizens. |
European countries, on the other hand, are seeing their citizens withdraw from religion, rejecting the yokes of the state religions they have been forced to endure. They prefer being banished to an "outsider" status to living under a coerced conformity of beliefs. |
As Iraq struggles to unite and create a cohesive social unit, Americans instinctively realize that giving the new government the power to dictate the religious belief of all Iraquis will create chaos as opposing sects compete to gain control. Only a secular government will allow differing concepts of God to coexist peacefully. |
Religion is supposed to be a good thing. So why is there so much religious strife in the world? Shia against Sunni, Northern Ireland Catholics against Protestants, Hindu against Muslim, Muslim against Christian -- every religion, it seems, has created its share of fanatics. |
Conflicts could end if religions would abandon their quest for power and start practicing their morality since most have derived some version of the "Golden Rule." This principle of treating others as you would have them treat you leads to the "mutual respect" of our founders' vision. |
The cohesion of any social unit, whether it is the Iraqui government or military units at the Air Force Academy, would be much greater if we stressed this principle. Rather than imposing one overall set of beliefs, we should seek to instill a genuine respect, even a reverence, for the right of individuals to hold their own religious or non-religious views. |
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