Should government regulate religion?

mistersato

Never. If you're talking about the U.S. there's a thing called the Separation Between Church and State. It comes from Thomas Jefferson's Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom. The government has no business interfering with citizens' religious beliefs. Jefferson said something to this effect: a person's soul is his own business and no one has the right to tell him what to do with it, as long as he isn't harming another citizen or infringing on someone else's rights."It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg," he said.

crazyotto65

No, never.

That is why we (Americans) are here. We have freedom of religion, independent of our government - our 1st Amendment.

It's one of the main reasons the Pilgrims left England.

absolutly not!!!

polyesterfred

HELL NO!
at what point in your life have you seen the government do a good job of regulating anything? the idea should be less government and more personal responsibility.

stage_poi

Otto is kinda right. While it is unconstitutional for government to endorse any one religion, this says nothing about coming to political decisions. Any limit of this would be an infringment on the 1st Amendment.

CrzyCowboy

It is not Goverments place to regulate religion. It is my thought that the less goverment regulates the better.

Lucky7Star

Not as long as we have still have The Constitution of the United States of America... Breath in our bodies and courage in our hearts.

truly

No, that's why the first amendment was created. It was to make sure that government did not interfere with religion.

Those issues you mention, while the religious have their opinions about them; the people have to decide what is best for a nation. While most of the time religious views are used as arguments, the government should not base their laws and regulations on them.

government should distance itself from religion and religion should keep its hands off government

MC Hummer

No, but religion should be taxed. The idea that a for-profit organization receives special treatment is repugnant.

The only regulation needed is to prevent speech or actions that violate another person's right to live and work. For example, Fred Phelps, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Randall Terry and others of their ilk need to be arrested for the hate they spew.

desolate_pepsi_101

Freedom is expensive nowa day!!!

Grandma Susie

...

I don't think government regulation is the answer, in fact it might drive people into extremist activities if they feel that their religious rights are being regulated by a government entity. Our constitution protects our religious freedoms, and the separation of church and state would be annihilated if they attempted to regulate religious thought or activity.

A better method, although unpopular given our 'politically correct' societal views, is racial/religious profiling. It is much more effective, because it targets specific groups of people who are known to be a higher risk for terroristic activities.

sirgrumpy1

According to the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution; NO, the government does not have the right to regulate religion. Nor should or can the government sponsor a state sponsored religion.....

blacklicorice

if they do, they would have to rewrite the constitution.

ceprn

Government should not regulate religion, but it should also not be influenced by it. They should be completely and always separated.

Additionally, in the US, I think religions should be taxed as the money making businesses they are, feeling fairy tales to the gullible and fleecing the sheep.

Craig S

We might have our freedom of religion, but people take it way out of line and take advantage of it. The government should deal with regulating religion on a case to case basis, like they should do with all law. For example, would you categorize those cults as a religion, the mass suicides because it is there religious belief. or what if your religion conflicts with another law, many religion women are consider a second class citizen who only rights are given by her husband, this is not just Islam, Christian where the same 50 years ago. There are many people everyday that uses religion as a way to break a law in there favor, and because of this the government would need to step in.

squirrel

If you want a government run by religion, then move to the Middle East.

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