Random Historical Analysis: Secularism & Popular Religion

The following is just a random thought tangent I went off when I was looking at pictures of the $2 bill.

When studying Civilization in we have seen how important the rise of organized religion was in the Roman era. And as we have seen over time, there has been large amounts of progress made when it comes to organized religion. And now 33% of the world population is Christian, 21% are Islam and the rest are a mix of Hindus, Jews and of course, Atheists/ non believers. We have come a long way from believing in idols, and other such less popular forms of religion, some which have even been called ‘witch craft’.
When studying the rise of religion, there are many things that can be credited for helping it get to where it is now. Firstly the popularization of Greek philosophy provided average citizens with too many questions about life. “Why are we here?, How did we get here?” and questions of that sort were on the minds of people everywhere. In my opinion religious leaders used this general uncertainty about life as a method extending their churches popularity to the masses. And unlike other forms of religion and idol-worshipping, Christianity at that time was very open (in the sense that anyone can join).
Also another reason that I believe that major religions- Christianity especially, got to where they was through, for lack of a better word, propaganda. They were able to present the people with mental comfort by answering one of the main philosophical questions at the time that was haunting the people, which is “Where will we go after we die?”. Nobody at the time was willing to accept that they were going to be buried and end up as fertilizer, instead when Christianity offered the people a chance to live in a luxurious and free place in the sky, they were able to get large amounts of support.
I personally have nothing against religion. I believe that it teaches people to be mature and helpful citizens. It also gives people mental and emotional strength when dealing with things in their life. But one main complaint I have about religion in the Western world is that it is being used in politics way more than needed. I am a Secularist and therefore I believe in the Separation of Church and state, and I will spend the second half of this entry writing about how well the Western world has done this, in comparison with the rest of the world.
The reason that I have such an active opposition of mixing Religion and Politics is because I have seen many unnecessary prosecutions of individuals due to their religious views. And I am sure we have all heard about the Shari’a law (A Muslim law), with countries like Iran, Nigeria and Sudan etc. using the death penalty on anyone accused of homosexuality.
Therefore after analyzing the US Constitution, I was pleased to see how far the Separation of Church and state had come. But this was not achieved overnight, this was achieved by the hard work and determination by people on both sides of the problem who worked diligently to achieve their goal. I will try and point out the few most important factors that have made the Separation of Church and State successful.
The first person to make great strides in this effort ( and a personal hero of mine) was President Thomas Jefferson who himself was a staunch believer in the cause. Jefferson believed that religion was a deeply personal matter, and therefore had no business being mixed with Politics.
In 1802, Jefferson wrote a very historically important letter in response to a letter by the Danbury Baptist Association. The letter the President received was a complaint about the lack of religious liberties in the DBA’s home state of Connecticut.
In response, the President wrote;
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man & his god, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state.
(Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association)

This letter has been regarded as a very historically important document because it not only demanded the Separation of Church and State, but also led to the Establishment Cause in the US Constitution Amendment 1 which is ;
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
(US Constitution Amendment 1)


This in my opinion was one of the most important, if not the most important, steps towards building up a stable and strong government. I believe that one of the main reasons that the US’s Government is now the strongest in the world is mainly due to the fact that people are willing to work hard and work together in the pursuit of a common goal. And now due to the steps taken by the great Jefferson, the US is one of the foremost leaders in the exercising of religious freedoms .

Now the question is how do we spread it to the rest of the world?