Knowing the Boundaries: Separation of the Church and the State

POSITION PAPER IN
THEOLOGY 11

BY: Group 4

AQUINO, JAMES JERICO H.

BAUTISTA, KYLE JOSHUA A.

CULATON, JOHN ERIC B.

DIDAAGUN, NUR HAKIM D.

FLORES, KEAN GABRIEL A.

MARZAN, JEFFRY R.

SAVELLANO, JOSZEF OWEN S.

TANGALIN, KURT RUSSEL A.

ROLLAN, ZHYLA JOY C.

VERGARA, AETHAN NEO F.

March 21, 2022

We all know that the separation of the church and the state has been a huge problem in our
society nowadays to the point that they're doing some rallies, debates and such regarding to how
these two can sunder. But for this question, what is really meant by the separation of the church?
And that state? The church and state cannot only be applied to our country but also in some
different nations. The separation of these two opposing sides also shows about a believer and a
disbeliever, the church teaches all of the religious content and religious laws which we highly
respect it while state shows about politics, science and everything that shows nothing about
religious content/laws, this is can be a conflict, a conflict that still happens nowadays, even so,
both of these should be separated since they have big difference that if you collide them a conflict
will happen, since both of these has different perspectives.

According to our research, the principle of "church and state separation" promotes a free
people's legal freedom to freely practice their faith, even in public, without fear of government
pressure. The concept also supports the idea that the government should be religiously neutral,
not openly recognizing or favoring any particular religion. Remember that the church refers to
religion in general, while the state refers to the government, for a better comprehension of this
notion. The split was also discussed because the Church and the State are co-equal and must
subject to one another in their respective realms. The civil government is in charge of keeping
order in society and protecting individuals so that they can live happily without having to avenge
themselves. Separation of the church and state has also become a topic of tremendous moral, legal,
and political importance, and it is currently attracting a lot of attention. A record number of people
are injecting religion into politics; pressure is mounting to have religious observances in public
schools and to fund sectarian education with tax dollars; and the United States Supreme Court
may soon be reinterpreting constitutional constraints on the relationship between religion and
public life. Knowing the difference between the two is crucial. The First Amendment's religion
clauses is to understand the legal boundaries because it’s crucial. Religious liberty in the United
States is a hot topic. They shall not enact any legislation relating to the establishment of
prohibiting the free exercise of religion, or both these clauses, taken together, enshrine in law the
American concept of by forbidding the government from interfering with religious freedom from
discriminating against people on the basis of their religion either a belief or a behavior The
Constitution's Establishment Clause prohibits the government from discriminating on the basis of
race by embracing or promoting religious beliefs or practices backing them by legislation or
actions while the Free Exercise Clause protects the company's employees, ensures that the
government does not discriminate in opposition to a person's religious beliefs or practices,
individuals and or to organizations. In the United States, religious displays on public property are
contentious because the government (which, by definition, controls public land) is seen as
endorsing or establishing the religion or religions that the exhibit is meant to honor or invoke. A
Crèche or Hanukkah menorah placed in a town square during the winter holiday season, or the Ten
Commandments monument erected outside a state legislative building, are examples of such
exhibits. In each case, a real or perceived relationship is established between government and
religion; the debate is on the nature of that relationship, as well as whether or not it violates
constitutional or theological principles of separation of church and state.

Religious belief among Filipinos is as strong, active, and ubiquitous as it has ever been. Until
recently, church-state ties in the Philippines were usually favorable. Despite the fact that notable
Catholic leaders and members have been known to participate in past political revolutions as well
as public policy issues. Recent spats between the Philippine president and Catholic Church
leaders, on the other hand, appear to have blurred conventional secular and religious lines. The
respect of the constitutional concept of separation of church and state, which has been entrenched
in the country for over a century, is commonly considered as the result of state behavior toward
religion and religious institutions. Recent spats between the Philippine president and Catholic
Church leaders, on the other hand, appear to have blurred conventional secular and religious lines.
The emergence of Rodrigo Duterte as a national political figure has marked the start of a new era
in government-clergy ties. Duterte amused his supporters with populist jokes during the
presidential campaign, including one in which he insulted the Pope for causing a large traffic
bottleneck in Manila during his visit. Many Church leaders were not impressed by Duterte's
outrageous and insulting remarks. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
published a pastoral letter urging Catholics not to vote for a candidate who is "morally repugnant"
and has "scarce regard for others' rights and the teachings of the Church" a few days before
Election Day (ABS-CBN News 2016). Duterte began blasting the Catholic Church for its hypocrisy,
corruption, and political intervention while awaiting his inauguration as Philippine president
(Manila Standard 2016, May 23). Catholic leaders, according to the incoming Chief Executive, have
breached the concept of separation of Church and State by interfering in politics. As a result, a
struggle between the president and the Catholic establishment erupted. The conflict is exceptional
in the Philippines' recent history of church-state ties for various reasons. First, prior presidents
sought the blessings of the Catholic Church, whether Catholic or not, but Duterte did not, marking
the ascent of a new secular elite leader in the country. Second, for the first time, a Philippine
president has openly challenged and ridiculed the Catholic Church and its beliefs, even if it was
only in jest. Third, Catholic leaders have openly and often chastised the president on major public
policy concerns, particularly his anti-drug campaign and its concomitant human rights violations.
Not only that, The Philippines' 1987 Constitution also specifies that "the separation of church and
state must be inviolable." No legislation shall be passed respecting an establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free practice thereof (Article II, Section 6), and the free exercise and enjoyment of
religious profession and worship will be permitted in perpetuity, without discrimination or
preference. For the enjoyment of civil or political rights, no religious test shall be imposed.
(Section 5 of Article III).

As we reach into the bottom line, we're conducting this research not only to help some
nations in terms of the separation, but also to provide significance to the issue and to stress the
impact it will have on the people, our faith, and the country as a whole. We're giving our topic a
meaning so that we can comprehend how it operates in today's society and how we should deal
with it because it has a history. Because we don't understand this problem, the two opposing
parties will continue to battle until the end, we need take action in regards to the two sides, the
church and the state. We should delve deeper into this topic to learn more about it. Separation of
church and state is necessary since both are vital in the society.

References:
 https://spiritandtruthonline.org/civil-government-gods-design-for-peace-and-
justice/
 https://scholar.google.com/scholar?
hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=separation+of+the+church+and+state&oq=#d=gs_qabs&u=
%23p%3DtLelEp0Ub_sJ
 https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/centers/boisi/pdf/bc_papers/BCP-
ChurchState.pdf
 https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/10/3/197/htm
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion_in_the_Philippines#:~:text=The
%201987%20Constitution%20of%20the,prohibiting%20the%20free%20exercise
%20thereof.

CHAPTER II
DISCUSSION

CHAPTER III
CONCLUSION