The Catholic Church has a magisterium - its teachings have a God-given authority that is equal to the authority of scripture. The Pope has even got the power to make infallible statements - statements that cannot be questioned. Within Protestant churches, the church has an advisory role. It can recommend one action over another, it can condemn certain actions entirely - you can even be kicked out of the church for certain actions. However, the individual is still left to decide where to stand in relation to church teaching.
The Pledge of Allegiance was not written to coerce citizens of the United States. Its purpose was to create a statement of patriotism. Through its words, it states each American citizen’s respect for the republican form of government our Founders instilled, and loyalty to America, a country that is “indivisible.” While the separation of church and state is a key institute in maintaining a fair democratic government, certain traditions such as the Pledge of Allegiance, should be allowed in a society founded on the belief in monotheism. The Pledge was not written to defy the Constitution; rather, it was a statement of secular belief in our nation. Its author had no intention of violating the First Amendment.
Because of this, the modern definition of 'family planning' has lead to some controversy amongst politicians within America. For example, the Republican Party are ideologically conservative, meaning they are a political party which aims to preserve traditional cultures and fashions, for example Christianity being taught throughout all schools. Because Christianity is often seen as the countries' traditional and original religion, republicans argue that Christianity is closely associated with American identity, therefore the eradication of it being taught compulsory within schools is against traditions. For the same religious reasons, the Republicans disagree with family planning schemes such as abortion,- the Republican Party would normally disagree with abortion as it goes against the Christian teaching known as the sanctity of life. This is the traditional teaching taught by the church which explicitly states that all human life is sacred, and so is to be protected by all Christians.
In “Model of Christian Charity”, John Winthrop describes how the people on the ship are Christians and as such must love one another. He says that with God’s special guidance over them, they will form a civil and religious society in a way that individual conduct benefit the good of the colony. He says that they need to apply these principles to the society they are forming. They must surpass their lives in England and take it to the New World. Winthrop states that since they are the chosen people, God will not be forgiving big errors.
The Disguised Truth About American Christianity In “The Christian Paradox: How a Faithful Nation Gets Jesus Wrong,” Bill Mckibben argues that the way Americans view the messages and teachings Christianity displays are far from what the Gospels of the Bible actually say and teach. McKibben points out how our nation is the most outspoken when it comes to Christianity. However, he later goes on to claim that as the most outspoken of the Christian nations our actions and decisions do not reflect what we preach. It is this contradiction that McKibben insists is the paradox of our Christianity in America. According to a statistic laid out by McKibben, seventy-five percent of the American population is under the belief that “God helps those who
According to Luther, a strong faith is the foundation and necessity for a good Christian life. Luther defines a true Christian as “a spiritual, new, and inward man.” Luther makes it clear that no outward or bodily actions are connected with the “liberty or the slavery of the soul.” No evil bodily or external works will injure the soul. Nor will any pure external actions or works save the soul. The most important thing for Christian salvation is the Bible, or as Luther refers to it, “the most holy word of God, the Gospel of Christ.” In order for the soul to be saved, we need the word of God, nothing more. In order to receive salvation, one must have faith in the word of God and “preach Christ”.
This action led to the founding the colony of Rhode Island as a safe place for religious dissidents. The Puritan clergy, which dominated the political structure, tried to enforce obedience and opposed any separation of church and state, as shown with Nathaniel Ward’s argument against government tolerance of religions diversity (Doc G). The
For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here (Thinking).” Here, Patrick Henry went against the very first Amendment to the Constitution, which asserts, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…(Bill of Rights)” In saying that the United States was indeed founded on the religious practices and morals of Christian life, Henry stood for everything that all the Founding Fathers believed as a whole. Several people would agree with him, saying that the only reason religious freedom is allowed is because those who originally governed the U.S. were good Christian men, and therefore welcomed with open arms any of those who fled to America in pursuit of liberty of religious persecution
While few Methodists pastors believe in inerrancy, conservatives view scripture as the unique revelation of God. The Bible contains all we need to know to be saved and to live the Christian life. Conservatives believe that the four gospels are the heart of scripture and accurately portray the life of Christ. Christian Ethics- Because of their skepticism of human nature and reason, conservatives believe we must be guided by the principles found in the Old and New Covenants. Christian love must be guided by the moral teachings of scripture and the church.
How has the separation between the State and Religion benefited the nation today? Keeping the State and Religion separate has helped resolve many issues within our nation. With the help of our four founding fathers our nation has become a place where anyone remains free to speak and teach their own religion. As stated by President Thomas Jefferson it should be man’s given right to exercise their religion being that it isn’t causing harm to anyone physically and it shouldn’t be an issue of concern. It was also noted that religion should remain separate from government issues to avoid decisions being compromised based on the religion someone practices.