Is religion over stepping its bounds in trying to influence politics?

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   d.williamposted 12 years ago

   Is religion over stepping its bounds in trying to influence politics?
   
   Should religions have the right to influence politics, and public policy, when they are merely 'businesses for profit' and pay no taxes? I have been receiving recorded (robo)  calls from the "catholic coalition'' to influence who to vote for.

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   Dantex460posted 12 years ago

   I think politics should be religion free we need a society based on logic and fairness not obeying some invisible wizard, Even if religion was to influence politics which one of the thousands of religions would it be?

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      d.williamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      My point exactly.  We have a global society of frightened little mice trying to run the world based on some fantasy contrived thousands of years ago and totally without logic.

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   Rod Marsdenposted 12 years ago

   In Australia we try to keep religion and politics separate but that has not always been the case. I don't know if religions have the moral right anymore to influence politics and public policy (certainly not after the Vietnam War) but they have always assumed that right.
   
   As for paying no taxes, that has always been a sore point too. King John tried to get the Catholic Church to pay taxes. He felt that, after all the lives lost in the Third Crusade and the cost over run of this endevour, the Church owed his kingdom something. He was excommunicated and in order to rejoin the Church had to say he was sorry and not try to tax the clergy. And yes, back then there were arms of the Church doing quite well as businesses making profit. The Cistercian order (wool trade) were doing well and so were the Knights Templar (pilgrim trade).
   
   In Australia, in particular Melbourne and Sydney, the Catholic Church representatives were against sending troops to Europe during the Great War. During the Vietnam War the Catholic Church was firmly in favour of sorting the communists out. They were even in favour of having the native ruler of South Vietnam be a Catholic in good standing despite their choice's open criminality. It was like appointing an Asian version of a Maffia don but it was done.
   
   My advice is to vote for who ever YOU think will do the better job.

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