by Angus Macdonald

Created on: August 24, 2007   Last Updated: August 25, 2007

Religion plays an important part in the lives of many people, for some it serves as simply a moral guide and for others it is a strict way of life. Over the centuries religion has played a fundamental role in ruling people's lives, in the Middle Ages the Catholic Church was one of the most powerful organizations on the face of the planet and in many countries today religious governments rule according to the laws of their faith, but is this morally right? Should we really allow religion to govern our lives?

In order to answer this question properly I feel that I must first explain my views on what a government is and what it's role is. As a socialist I believe that a government has a moral obligation to look after the people, it's fundamental role is to ensure that everyone has a fair chance to lead the life they want and deserve as human beings. Many people believe that socialism is all about control but this is not so, socialism and democracy are (at least to me) far more closely related than capitalism and democracy. I believe that everyone should be allowed to chose how they want to live their life, that personal freedom is paramount and that it is a government's job to ensure that society allows people to have that freedom. A government should always have the best interest of it's people at it's heart.

So what role does religion play in this? Faith in God can bring people great joy, great strength in times of need and great solace at times of loss, but can they bring a great amount of joy and prosperity to an entire nation at all times? Can religious teachings really dictate the laws of the land? To me the answer is simply no. A religion is an individual choice and anyone who believes in democracy believes that we should be allowed to make that choice. But to have a religious government would be to have a government creating laws based on religious teachings and that is not having the best interests of the people at heart, that is having religion at heart. If you truly respect people's freedoms then your religion should not affect your judgment when it comes to the lives of others. We cannot and must not live in a society where people use their religious views to rule if we are to say that we live in a democracy.

Over the years many great leaders have said that their faith played a huge role in their personal lives. To me this is perfectly natural, essentially that is what religion is all about : your personal life. However, one cannot really say that a religious person was following their faith when they decided to go to war and kill many people, or when they decided that the economy needed a boost as religions generally teach us not to kill or to seek wealth. Such decisions made by these people often go against their religion's basic teachings but they are necessary to keep their nation prosperous. Faith often gives such great leaders the strength to make these decisions and this is entirely different to using your religion to guide your decision making process. I have no problem whatsoever with religious people holding positions of power, this is what democracy is all about, but their religion must be kept to their private lives. To govern you must essentially give yourself up to the interests of the public, and your private life should play no part in your government.

In summary, I believe that it is entirely wrong to rule a country by the laws of a religion. Democracy does not allow for it and anyone who respects freedom should be able to understand this.

Learn more about this author, Angus Macdonald.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.