Politics And Religion - Drawing Of A Boundary?

This debate has been going on for centuries. The thing is that it is difficult to compartmentalize a life. Every aspect of life is interconnected and one action has an affect upon the other.

With separation of the two, a person is supposed to play a dual role. I wonder if it is possible for him to keep them really separate without affecting each other. But there is no choice. They need to be kept apart because of so many valid reasons.

A religion should be a private affair. Every human being should have a choice to be free in his private life. Anybody can have any beliefs. So long as these are confined to him and are not detrimental to the society at large, there should be no interference in the private affairs of a human being.

In order to serve the tenets of individual freedom, polity should be bereft of religion. We are living in a pluralistic society where there are hundreds of different beliefs and religions. Even within the same religion, there are so many variations.

In fact, in the modern age there is no uniformity even within the same religion. There are too many conflicts and sentiments attached with beliefs and personal practices. Any state cannot control them.

Times keep on changing with the onset of new discoveries, needs and challenges. Any religion cannot take care of all the situations. Religion may even slow down reforms.

There are so many hardliners who would like to see their religion to dictate every aspect of life. They would drag religion into polity regardless of its suitability or its affect upon people of different faiths and religions.

History has shown that whenever religion and politics were mixed up, the results were disastrous.

I think world has recognized the harm that politics and religion can do if mixed together. That is why most of the countries in the world are secular. Wherever, we see the stamp of religion on politics there are conflicts and disturbances. Societies which take them separately are more prosperous, tolerant and peaceful.

Some religious fanatics are playing havoc with the world. They are trying to force other people to follow their thinking and path up to total destruction. There is no place for peaceful living in their lives and the principle of live and let live.

I don't think it is also in the scheme of God to force people to follow a certain mode of life. At best I believe God has given human beings a choice.

The basic thing is that whatever one's beliefs and preferences, they should contribute to the ultimate welfare of people and not to harm them.