Would it be possible for there to be a worldwide separation of church and state?

[Pushed To The Left]

Imagine how much more peaceful some of the more violent parts of the world would be if religion and government were not so intertwined. I realize this battle continues in America, but at least we have a Bill of Rights here. Even though the right wing wants to ignore it, we are supposed to have church-state separation: "no estabishment of religion". Is there any way that this could become an international movement?

[JVS]

1. It'll never fly in the Vatican City

[Cleita]

4. Maybe that's what we need, Vatican cities for different

faiths, although the Muslims do have Mecca. Each faith can have one city in the world that is a small independent state. Then they can believe in and practice all the crazy shit that they want to in those places. Otherwise, there should be strict laws stating that in no way do they interfere with the affairs of state in any other sovereign nations.

They cannot run for office or work in government capacities anywhere. They are to limit their ministries to advancing spirituality only and only within the voluntary members of their churches, temples or mosques. It should be illegal to proselytize and attempt to impose their values on anyone who is unwilling to join them.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. Actually, a plan sort of like this was proposed in the 1950s

by Murshid S.A.M. (Sufi Ahmed Murad) Lewis, an American mystic. He thought Jerusalem should be a "free city" open to all Abrahamic faiths, administered internationally. A master of Zen Buddhism, Sufism, Christian mysticism, and Kabballah, he had a lot of good ideas for international peace.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Nope.

[tridim]

3. Don't know, but I love the idea. n/t

[Selatius]

5. I like the idea, but I'm afraid some governments are simply too backwards on the issue.

You would need freedom of speech just to argue "no establishment of religion," and some governments lack even that pre-requisite.

[waiting for hope]

6. Gee - I think that's a WWJD

plan:

"Render unto Ceaser what is Ceaser's, and render unto God what is God."

That's the ultimate in Separation of Church and State.

[Warpy]

8. Probably not

Some countries are pluralistic and have to work very hard to tolerate visitors that are outside the prevailing religion. They also loathe and fear having those visitors proselytize.

Some folks in this world still think they want theocracy. If we try to change their minds, they will resent it at the very least.

[nealmhughes]

9. Gee, there has been a little movement afoot since the 17th Century: it is called the Enlightenment.

Jefferson and Voltaire were leaders of it in the 18th Century. Madison put it in our Constitution. The Test Act went away in the 19th Century in the UK...

Now, everyone, brush up on your Tom Paine's Age of Reasonthe Second Edition, specifically. Read it in Arabic, French, English, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin or other major literary language. Absorb it. Then mull over the concepts. Write a 5 pp paper on "How to get religion out of politics". Use MLA or Turabian as citation guides. Get back to me before the 15th January. I shall be grading over the Xmas holidays and getting your grades back before the 20th, but I expect this essay on the 15th of next month or I shall give you an I. I have the power to change grades! For graduating Seniors, have yours in by 19 December.

[genie_weenie]

10. Would it be possible to do away with the State?

n/t