[Saxon]

When you talk about religion and state, it is good to look at how Christianity is different than other religions. The “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto god what is god’s,” is fairly unique. It flavors the thinking of most people who grew up in predominantly Christian areas and makes them think that the separation of church and state is normal or at least desirable. In most of the world, that is not the case.

Many other religions either carry an explicit or implicit idea that “our religion is good and we should do what we need to do to make sure society follows the moral ideals of our religion.” This means the state should and even must implement religion. Why would you leave out a very powerful tool when you are trying to change the world?

This is a gap in understanding that I frequently see in Christian/Muslim discussions and it is all the worse because the two sides don’t realize it is there. One side is saying “How can you pass a law like that?” They then argue about the right and the wrong of the law. The other side is “How can you let such things happen in your society?” They then argue about the right and the wrong of the act. Both miss that the actual issue is about how church and state should interact and how a faithful member of the religion should try to make the world a better place.

Also, for those in the West who did not understand why the word “Crusade” caused such a furor in some parts of the world, this is why. If the hearer thinks that all governments reflect the main religion of that nation, they will hear “Crusade” and expect a holy war with all the might of that state behind it. If the hearer is a “separation of church and state” kind of person, they do not expect that at all.