The Relationship Between State and Religion

The motto today is, "Keep your religion out of the state!" To a certain degree this should be true. However, this has been lately understood that all religion having anything to do with a government body is a necessary evil. Simply put, to utterly separate religion and state is impossible. As soon as a religion exists in a state, there is necessarily a relationship between the two. The state has an obligation to protect the rights of religion and the religion has a duty to respect the authority of a given state. This was witnessed by the early christian martyrs and giving "to Cezar what belongs to Cezar" (MT 22:21). A given state or country has an obligation to allow commerce, protect its citizens and their properties. This duty involves morals. It is religion that serve the people in this capacity. The religion of our leaders is what governs them and guides them in making the laws that govern the morals of the state. If there is no religion in the state or it's leaders, what will govern them? Will other people? But who would watch the ones who watch them? Only a final judge who see's all things and knows all things and whom every person is accountable to at their last breath can keep our leaders accountable, even behind closed doors. Coming to this conclusion, religion is necessary, so long as it is truly guided by God.

Emotions are not the Reality Itself.

I was talking one day to a man who believed that emotions were the foundation to all reality. He also said that the truly intelligent person can reconcile contradictions. They can handle it. My view on this is that this is simply a form of denial to justify morally the alternative lifestyle he was living. It is obvious that science could never advance if emotions determined the truth. My emotions cannot make water freeze at 50 degrees. In the moral realm, If homosexuality is OK today, maybe it will not be tomorrow. If a terrorist feels it is good to terrorize, what is to stop him? If a rapist wants to rape, what is to stop him? If a homosexual hates me and wants to put me in jail, what is there to stop him?

Not a Person?

When talking to a representative of Illinois Senator Richard Durban, a group of teenagers and I asked why he felt abortion was acceptable. The reply was interesting. It goes back to the decision of Roe V. Wade. The court decision said that they did not know if it was a human person. Back then, we did not have sonograms, but now we do. We also know about DNA. Science proves today that the "thing" in the womb is a human being. So the question again is wheather or not the human being is a human person. In other words; "Is it sub-human?" Interesting.

Why talk to the Saints or Mary?

Some people may argue that as Catholics, we worship the saints and Mary because we pray to them. As a Catholic, this makes no sense because we have never been told to worship anybody but the Divine Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is not part of our experience. However, we do honor them, just like we would honor any of our family members who have gone before us.

What is important here to notice is how the accusers seem to think that we are talking to the dead. However, as Catholics, we actually believe in the eternal life that Jesus promises us with. Therefore we can act on that certainty. These saints are not dead, they are truly alive. This turns the question around. If you do not have the faith to believe that these people are in fact alive in Jesus Christ and act on this reality; can such faith save you?

Why Pray?

I have been asked; why pray? What are you actually accomplishing in praying? The question seems to focus on what physically happens and forgets the spiritual things. Praying puts us in union with God. It develops our relationship with Him. We can know a lot about God by reading scripture, but to know Him takes a relationship with Him. To have a relationship with anybody, we need to communicate. To communicate means that we have to talk with and listen to that person. We do that with God by praying. So in order to develop a relationship with God, we need to pray. In developing this relationship we are strengthened and many other benefits may occur. The most important thing that happens is that we come to know the one who is Love. It is where we fall in love with God.