“Separation of church and state” is a concept used in the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The First Amendment elucidates that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ….” and Article VI specifies that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States” (http://www.usconstitution.net/constnot.html). From these statements one can deduce that the goal is to have a severe separation of the church (religion) and the state (government).
The government, Republicans and Democrats alike, seem to fail to realize the important of separation of church and state. This is evident in the GOP race. All the candidate’s religious preferences are scrutinized and applied to how they would govern. I understand that your personal religious preferences, if any, may influence your decisions and actions, but the line is crossed when you impose these preferences on others. This is intolerable on an individual level, but when our leaders are commanding something that directly influences the freedom of one’s religion it is unacceptable. I am referring to Obama care, or rather his socialized health care (which is utterly, entirely and unreservedly unconstitutional), and his mandate that religious schools and hospitals provide birth control for their employees. This is an unambiguous blurring of the church and state line. Why should the government be involved in matters such as these…does this not sound chillingly close to communism? Most sects of Christianity are adamantly opposed to any and all forms of birth control. This is a religious matter, perhaps more specifically an infringement on the free exercise thereof. The intimacies of a family or even independent individuals should not and cannot be infringed upon by the government; it is unconstitutional (see above). Obama will say that it gives people the option and therefore is not, but Mr. Obama cannot say that his socialized health care gives people the option. By 2014, if not repealed, we will be required to buy health insurance. This is only the first step for him. This birth control issue is a test, a foot in the door technique.
Obscuring the line of separation of church and state fosters intolerance. This then creates an atmosphere that stifles creativity, ingenuity and hence forth productivity as a nation. These are crucial components of capitalism and democracy. With the negation of these integral parts our liberties will suffer. Obama must be a one-term president! I fear that if a GOP candidate is not elected this November, America, as we know it, will disintegrate. It will become a different America, where our leaders will not understand liberty, but rather suppression. Who knows, if we do not elect a GOP candidate could we be facing twelve years of the Obamas; Barack, Barack, Michelle, Michelle…? If we do not understand the importance of how our constitution protects us, we cannot use it to fight for our freedoms.