Religious Matters Quotes
Despite this clear statement, later the Colonial legislature withdrew the franchise from Roman Catholics. See {624149}. Despite this temporary restriction of religious freedom, Rhode Island and Connecticut were far ahead of the other New England colonies in freedom of conscience.
Philip II, by this statement, and his subsequent behavior, made a major step forward in France for the separation of church and state. Previously, French kings played a major part in the selection of the bishops and other high clerics of the realm. Phillip ceased that type of interference. He did however, close down a religious commune for misbehavior, but that was at the request of both the church and civil authorities. See {617074} . The religious authorities at the time were delighted with this form of separation of church and state, but they were adamant that their church should be able to influence the monarchy and laws of the realm. In contrast today, the Chinese government does not allow any religion to interfere with the operation of the government, but insists that the Dali Lama and the Bishops of the Catholic church can only be appointed with their approval. Separation of church and state is a two way phenomenon.
School Prayer had been opposed long before its Constitutionality was tested in the courts and found unconstitutional.
Muslims are divided about the role of the Islamic religious courts. Some believed that these should be the only courts and should govern all law, religious and civil on the grounds that there are no real differences in Islam. Others believe, as Jammal put forth, that religious courts should only deal with religious and personal matters. Still others believe that these is no place in modern society for religious courts. This debate echoes the debate that took place in Christianity and Judaism, but the vast majority of these have concluded that there is no place for religious courts
Backus was the first of the American clerics to espouse the position that in order for there to be a Christian nation, the state must be separate from the Church.
At the time. Catholics in America were proportionately many fewer than today, and anti-Catholic sentiment and discrimination was very common. If the government then could become involved with religion, the protestant-dominated government would likely have restricted the Church and Catholics. So Catholics were, like Bishop England an absolutist for the separation of church and state. However towards the end of the 20th century, Roman Catholics were about 25% of the population and anti-Catholic sentiment was reduced to relatively few Protest extremists, who were rejected by the main stream even of Protestants. Then the Catholic bishops began to change their position and advocated Federal aid to parochial schools and various Catholic social services. They also began to lobby government to make laws enforcing the Catholic views of morality.
