Howard 1

Camille Howard
Ms. Gardner
English 10h/Period 6
10 May 2016
Anti Division Amongst the Publics Religion
Since the start of civilization, populations argue the establishment of religion as their
nations governmental foundation. In the United States election of 2016, the Republican
candidate, Donald Trump, desires protection to the nations founding religion: I am proud to be
a Christian, and as president, I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and
weakened, unlike what is happening now with our current president (qtd. in Huckabee). The
relationship between religion and politics in the United States began in 1791 with the
Constitution stating, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Since
then, Americans have argued how this clause should be interpreted for the sake of our nation
(ProQuest Staff). In countries such as Pakistan, Jordan and the Palestinian territories, people
believe their government laws should strictly follow the tenets of Islam, the Koran. Asli Bali, a
law professor, believes the [Koran] is the ideal of moral authority, social justice, uncorrupt
values and adherence to social norm (Simmons). History provides evidence that nations with a
steady religious government were the strongest. For example, the Indian caste systembased off
of Hinduism has prevailed in India since 600 B.C.E. Religion in the public sphere has shaped
countries for thousands of years, creating strong nations with a unified belief.
Opposers could argue that religious governments cause unnecessary deaths. An example
of this could date back to the Aztecs who performed human sacrifices to please their gods. They
killed children, prisoners of war, and the most handsome men in their society. Although, they

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believed it to be an honor to be sacrificed, not a punishment. Opposers could also argue
freedom to act on ones conscientious religious beliefs would have meant, for many, the
freedom to kill heretics and infidels (Strauss). A recent example occurred in Pakistan on April 5,
2016, marking a Christian man named Nazier Masihs date of death. Brutally murdered with a
knife to the throat, he was left to drown in his own blood. According to the Asian Human Rights
Commissiona nongovernmental body the murderers, Muslims, shouted a derogatory slur for
low-caste Christians as they attacked Nazier. When Naziers son filed a report with the police
station, the police refused to do anything. This incident represents how the Pakistani government
overlooked a religion that was not their own (Williams). Mustafa Akyol, a Muslim, believes
these dilemmas poison Islam itself by overshadowing all of the religion's theological and moral
teachings. To condense the opposing argument, many would agree that freedom of religion
leads to discrimination going beyond prayers and towards violence. Although some countries
become indignant within their religion, overcoming this righteousness binds a country together,
creating a nation. Within a nation, diversity may emerge, but diversification requires acceptance
of a single foundation.
Religion in the public sphere has brought the world to serious crisessuch as genocides
because of specific people feeling superior over others. Atrocious human behavior does not
derive from religion. Religion has inspired our ancestors to create strong nations. David Meyer, a
minister, points out that in every country, the morals of people take their form and spirit from
their religion. For example, the marriage of brothers and sisters was permitted among the
Egyptians because such had been the precedent set by their gods, Isis and Osiris (Meyer). In
ancient times, emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty brought peace to his empire by building
several Pillars of Ashoka and posting Buddhist principles on them. Preceding Ashoka were weak

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emperors who did not emphasize Buddhism as strongly as Ashoka, leading to a weaker nation
(McCannon). Similar to Ashoka creating a Buddhist nation, the United States Founding Fathers
founded a Christian nation; however, Buddhisms decline led to Indias decline, as Christianitys
decline will lead to Americas decline. One of the least religious Founding Fathers, Benjamin
Franklin, once said: Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive
Christianity will change the face of the world (Meyer). If Christianity bonded the United States,
then why is the country trying to weaken the religion and repeat ancient history?
Moreover, religion protects peoples lives. Many religious groups contribute to helping
those in need such as the homeless or people experiencing a crisis. Health-care ministries are
becoming more popular to cover peoples medical expenses than buying traditional state
insurance (Armour). A recent example of religious aid would take place in Flint, Michigan. The
water supply was cut off, and the citizens were forced to drink the poisoned water from the river
that is possibly deadly. Catholic Charities are giving out water and food. The Flint Jewish
Federation is collecting water and water filters. Also, the Michigan Muslim Community Council
has distributed more than 120,000 bottles of clean water for Flint, Michigan (Markoe). In the
religion, Islam, the Third Pillar of the Five Pillars of IslamZakat states that all Muslims must
donate to the poor: it was their duty to help the people in Michigan. This evidence demonstrates
how religious groups help people in need, whereas the governor of Michigan, agnostic, along
with the President of the United States (who claims to be Christian), had clearly stated he would
not give the citizens back their clean water. As a result, it is evident that different religions share
generosity towards others and each other a thriving community.
Ultimately, most religions offer high morals and values to society, creating an ethical
government. In 1831, a French jurist named Alexis de Tocqueville visited America. When he

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returned home, he wrote one of the best studies about American culture at the time. Alexis de
Tocqueville was astonished that liberty and religion could be combined in such a balanced
harmony and good order. He wrote:
The revolutionists of America are obliged to profess an ostensible respect for Christian
morality and equity, which does not permit them to violate wantonly laws that oppose
their designs Thus, while the law permits the Americans to do what they please,
religion prevents them from conceiving, and forbids them to commit, what is rash or
unjust. (Skousen)
As the government tries to increasingly diminish religion, more crimes will be committed in the
United States, and as America tries to fix internal problems, external problems will worsen
without Americas help.
Quan Zhenyuan, a woman who was introduced to Buddhism, believes that the return of
Buddhism will help bring peace to China. In 1959, the Chinese government brutally suppressed
Tibetan Buddhism. During the Cultural Revolution, many Buddhist holy sites were ravaged.
Today, Chinese people are consistently in a rush in their daily activities, and they do not
understand how to relax. Duan Yuming, a professor at Sichuan University, believes meditation
can help them find peace of mind" (Moxley). Over the past decades, Buddhist monuments have
been erected and restored across China, and tourism to Buddhist and other religious sites has
increased. The moment the Chinese government banned Buddhism, the country became higherstressed, but now that the government is welcoming it, people are beginning to find
peace.Therefore, religion must stay within the public sphere of each nation, because mayhem
will occur without ethical views.

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Religion has shaped many of the countries that exist today and therefore should not be
dismissed from public life. Day by day, pessimists lament about the few negative effects of
religion in the public sphere. However, these people overlook the dominating positive effects of
religion. More involvement in religion will unite more communities, lead to less crime, and mold
a country based on raw morals and values. If our ancestors were successful in building nations
around the globe using religion, then why are governments trying to diminish it?

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Works Cited
Akyol, Mustafa. "How Politics Has Poisoned Islam." International New York Times. 04 Feb.
2016: 6. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 04 May 2016.
Armour, Stephanie. "More Turn to Faith for Health Coverage." Wall Street Journal. 04 Jan.
2016: B.1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 04 May 2016.
"Huckabee: Unprecedented for a Pope to Weigh in on Election." Fox News. FOX News
Network, 18 Feb. 2016. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
Markoe, Lauren. "Religious Groups Focus on Flints Water Woes." Religion News Service.
Religion News Service, 19 Jan. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2016.
McCannon, John. Barron's AP World History. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's,
2010. Print.
Meyer, Dave. "Defining a "Christian Nation"" Defining a "Christian Nation"Enjoying Everyday
Life, 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Meyer, Dave. "The Changing Language of America's Leaders." The Changing Language of
America's Leaders. Enjoying Everyday Life, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Moxley, Mitch. "Buddhism Enjoys a Revival." Global Information Network. 01 Dec. 2010: n.p.
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 04 May 2016.
ProQuest Staff. "At Issue: Religion in the Public Sphere." ProQuest LLC. 2016: n.pag. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
Simmons, Ann. "A Split on Koran's Influence." Los Angeles Times. 29 Apr. 2016: A.4. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 04 May 2016.
Skousen, W. Cleon. The 5000 Year Leap: The 28 Great Ideas That Changed the World.
Washington, D.C.: National Center for Constitutional Studies, 2007. Print.

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Strauss, David A. "What the 'religious Freedom' Controversy Is Really about." Washington Post.
The Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Williams, Palmer. "Christian Man Murdered Over Property Dispute in Pakistan | American
Center for Law and Justice." American Center for Law and Justice. American Center of
Law and Justice, 22 Apr. 2016. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.