PARADIGM CHANGE #2: Church and State

The fragile relationship between church and state has not always been that way.  It is only a matter of a few decades ago that the question was much more of an intellectual debate than it is now.  Recently, however, the issue has risen to the point of actual legislative testing and there is a sense in many peoples’ minds that some serious legislation will take place in the next couple of years that will change the scene forever.I want to be clear that when I use the term “church” in this piece I am using it in a somewhat secular way; it is not meant to be a term restricted to Christian bodies.  In this debate the term is a metaphor referring to any religious institution that receives the status of not-for-profit organization dedicated to worship. That statement helps to clarify the first of three points I want to make:

• This debate is about money.

Particularly on the local level, municipalities which are struggling economically are taking a second look at the vast amount of property designated as non-taxable because it is occupied by a religious organization.  (Educational institutions are within this lens, as well, but that is a topic for another piece in the near future.) As the economy becomes less enhanced by industry, municipalities search with some intensity for ways to compensate, and religious institutions pop up on their radar.  There is legislation being considered in many communities which would remove churches from the not-for-profit roll and include them in the realm of taxable.  In many instances, religious institutions have voluntarily paid significant sums in lieu of taxes to recognize the value of services like fire and police protection, street maintenance, water and sewer access, and other such benefits provided.  But it is not universal, with some religious institutions demanding their right of separation from state by denying requests to “chip in” on budget needs.  Ultimately, the result of this short-sightedness may be a fatal blow as the deferment vanishes and taxes become a reality.

• There is an increasingly significant secularism visible in our society.

While Americans continue to be among the most religious people in existence, with 87% declaring themselves to being members of a religious organization as recently as six years ago, the drift towards a less institutional religious preference has accelerated in the past half-decade.  And increasingly, Americans are defining themselves as non-religious.  The next posting of those figures will show a growing number of American citizens who declare themselves as atheist, agnostic, spiritual or simply non-religious. This demonstrates an important factor for religious organizations; it also signals a governmental shift which allows for viewing religious institutions with more objectivity than in the past.

• The toleration for church influence in government is greatly diminished.

One could argue that this paradigm change is in concert with the public’s growing distaste for lobbying in general.  The hunger for a purer form of government, free from external pressures, is great at the current moment.  There are 41,000 registered lobbyists in Washington, D.C. at the present moment.  Among them are lobbyists representing the major religious institutions in this country, and that doesn’t even take into account the  lobbyists who represent other causes whose religious preferences tend to influence their impact on legislators.  Hot-button issues such as abortion, euthanasia, gender rights and gay and lesbian rights are on the front pages of our newspapers on a daily basis, and the impact of religion on those issues vacillates regularly. The call for separation  of church and state positions is heard with increasing intensity.

These three bulleted issues are just a sampling of the factors contributing to a change of assumptions which lead to an understanding of a paradigm change.  As religious institutions in cities and rural areas alike are boarded up or renovated to become hair salons and plumbing companies, the perception of the significance of religious thought in the church and state debate becomes more visible.  Basic assumptions about the importance of religion in the lives of people are shifting.

A sign of that shift which has attracted my attention has been the content of published obituaries.  With rapidly-increasingly regularity there is no mention of a religious affiliation of those who are deceased.  Funerals, per se, are replaced by memorial gatherings at country clubs, restaurants and bars,  veterans posts, or in parks.   It is a subtle note to tell us that a paradigm change is underway which demonstrates itself in a variety of ways, some of which are significant to our entire society.

Photo Credit: church & state

Tagged as: Congress, legislation, PARADIGM CHANGE, religion