However, this argument relies on the view that a government’s interpretation of a religion would actually not damage the religion. Religion, when allowed to influence a government, will corrupt both itself and its government in an attempt to gain power. Controlling a population’s entire sense of morality is simply too great of a power not to be abused. Allowing a government to wield religion allows it to quite literally brainwash populations using the fear of hell. In the process of directing politics, it is highly likely that a religion’s morals would become completely twisted, even with the solid grounding of the Bible. Historically, Christianity has filled this role with surprising success. For a very long time, the Catholic church had a stranglehold on European politics. In fact, it acted as a government itself, controlling a part of Italy known as the Papal States until 1870 (“Papal States”). During its time of power, the Catholic church became incredibly corrupt. During the Catholic Inquisition, in which people were put on trial for having potentially heretical beliefs (to Catholics at least), victims could be punished using methods ranging “...from visits to churches, pilgrimages, and wearing the cross of infamy to imprisonment (usually for life but the sentences were often commuted) and (if the accused would not abjure) death,” (Helden). This abuse of power was echoed in England’s Anglican church. The Puritans, out of whom became the pilgrims, desired to leave England because of its lack of religious toleration and because the Anglican religion had not so much reformed the Catholic church as it had replaced the Pope with a king (Deverell 64-65). Eventually, though, the New England Puritans themselves had also created a religiously-dominated society, one in which “Church attendance was mandatory…”, law-breakers were
However, this argument relies on the view that a government’s interpretation of a religion would actually not damage the religion. Religion, when allowed to influence a government, will corrupt both itself and its government in an attempt to gain power. Controlling a population’s entire sense of morality is simply too great of a power not to be abused. Allowing a government to wield religion allows it to quite literally brainwash populations using the fear of hell. In the process of directing politics, it is highly likely that a religion’s morals would become completely twisted, even with the solid grounding of the Bible. Historically, Christianity has filled this role with surprising success. For a very long time, the Catholic church had a stranglehold on European politics. In fact, it acted as a government itself, controlling a part of Italy known as the Papal States until 1870 (“Papal States”). During its time of power, the Catholic church became incredibly corrupt. During the Catholic Inquisition, in which people were put on trial for having potentially heretical beliefs (to Catholics at least), victims could be punished using methods ranging “...from visits to churches, pilgrimages, and wearing the cross of infamy to imprisonment (usually for life but the sentences were often commuted) and (if the accused would not abjure) death,” (Helden). This abuse of power was echoed in England’s Anglican church. The Puritans, out of whom became the pilgrims, desired to leave England because of its lack of religious toleration and because the Anglican religion had not so much reformed the Catholic church as it had replaced the Pope with a king (Deverell 64-65). Eventually, though, the New England Puritans themselves had also created a religiously-dominated society, one in which “Church attendance was mandatory…”, law-breakers were