[MD] Theocracy, Secularism, and Democracy

[X Acto]

Horse said:

Hi Ron

You've brought up, for me, an interesting slant on this issue. It looks to me, 
as an outsider, like competing theocracies but from slightly different aspects.

I realise that in the strictest sense we aren't looking at the USA as a 
theocracy, but in the broader sense I think this is the case. You already have a 
black president and I can imagine a woman president or an openly gay president, 
but I would have difficulty in imagining an atheist president given the 
predominance of religious belief and adherence with your country. Or to put it 
another way, a Jewish or Christian black/female/gay/straight/white president is 
an odds on certainty for the foreseeable future, but i don't see any chance of 
an atheist making any headway any time soon.

In theory you have separation of state and church but how many political 
elections have been run on an atheist ticket and how many political appointments 
have been made to atheist candidates. In theory there should be a proportionate 
number of atheists elected or standing reflecting the number of atheists within 
the US community. From the outside, and this is just the impression I get, this 
just doesn't seem to be the case. My impression is that very few people would 
vote for someone who is openly atheistic.
I may be wrong but I thought that the original intention of the US constitution 
was to provide for secular government at all levels. That doesn't seem to be 
happening - at least at the moment

I think this becomes more obvious at a local level of politics, as instanced by 
the issue we're discussing and some of the comments it's raised. Most, I think, 
see it as a political issue intertwined with Islam. Which brings it, broadly, 
within the confines of theocratic competition - i.e. political competition over 
a religious issue. And as Dave T. said, it's likely to tear your country apart - 
although I think that's very likely a while off yet.


Cheers


Horse,
I think it casts a light on the cultural conflicts and differences in 
socio-political points of view.
I think most americans reject middle eastern cultural values. They feel 
threatened by them.
The same can be said for middle eastern cultures distain for the west.
This is where looking at the situation as a intellect/social conflict in terms 
of an explanation
misses alot and takes us down a different path.

I believe a more accurate explanation of the problem would yield a better 
foundation for
possible solutions and/or just plain dealing with the conflict in a more 
constructive manner.

It's perfectly natural to feel threatened by differing cultural values, but how 
we deal with those
feelings makes all the difference.
-Ron