Today I responded to a friend's Facebook status. His post referenced instruction given in the recent General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of his friends didn't respond very favorably to his comment because of the Church's involvement in Proposition 8.
This lead me to this question: What is the role of religion in politics?
This is what I think:
First, I believe many have a biased opinion of religion, using the term in reference to people who believe in God. I would, however, agree with the definition that defines it as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe.
This means that every intelligent person has a religion. If a person doesn't believe in God then that is their religion, or belief concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe: that it wasn't God. And likewise a person that does believe in God has their religion.
So what role do these beliefs have in politics?
According to my understanding of society, any society is created by individuals who have agreed to live by certain standards (laws) in order to obtain the benefit that comes from living together. If one group of people in the society believed that eating other people was acceptable, chances are that those who did not find this acceptable would break away from that society.
In a similar way one's religion (beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe) affect what a person esteems to be acceptable in society. This in turn affects what standards people agree to live to. The process of agreeing on standards that a society will live by (Politics) is directly influenced by the collective beliefs of the society (Religion).
Or in other words: politics is the result of a societies beliefs, including religion.
If two religions are at conflict in politics, either one will give way to the other, or the religions will separate from the society.
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