The separation of religion and state is a core feature of
Western democracy but religion does play a large role in politics. Fundamentalist movements, such as the
religious right in the U.S., and Islamic movements in Islamic states, have had
a significant impact on domestic politics (Fox and Sandler, 2005).
I believe that
government should not create laws based on religious principle- many Islamic
states in the Middle East, for example, also have religious minorities who
would not have a say as to what role Islam should play in the government.
Islam, many argue, is not compatible with democracy. It makes no separation between religion and state and
because of this Islamic law becomes the law of the land so there is no room for
public participation in lawmaking.
Also, not all citizens have the same rights. Non-Muslims are not accorded the same rights as Muslims, and
women do not have the same rights as men.
Religion really has no place in the state whatsoever, and I do agree that the government should not create laws that are solely based on religious principles. There are definitely going to be overlaps between religious beliefs and existing laws but that does not mean that religious beliefs should be the driving force behind legislation.
ReplyDeleteIt would only be biased and unjust to create laws based on religious principles due to the vast range of religions in existence. Pertaining to Canada specifically, the Charter guarantees our right to our own beliefs and to practise our own religion. Thus, by forcing specific ideas/beliefs through lawmaking would be to suppress this right from citizens. For example, Christians may feel that homosexuality is a sin and so will present this belief in the form of laws, despite the fact that this may not hold true for all religions.
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