- Joined
- Apr 25, 2014
- Messages
- 8,225
What is the relationship between religion and government in the UK? Because if you've been watching or listening to our news, it's obvious that belief in the dogma of the christian bible (yanno the one and only holy book dictated by the one and only real legitimate god, everybody else is a heathen) gives all those white christian males in our government, and their minions on the streets, carte blanche to insert themselves in our vaginas, up our butts, and into our penises.
I am a bit fuzzy on this as politics is not a strong suit... but IIRC the Queen is the head of state and parliament (and the mace must be present in parliament for it to sit, because it represents the Queen, or something like that) and she is also head of the Church of England???
But the Prime Minister is head of the political party that has been put in power to run the country through public elections (although the PM themselves does not have to be actually chosen by the public, they can be determined by the party in power) and the Queen does not interfere with the running of the country.
The church is always there in the background, what with the links to the Queen and the generally Christian values behind a 'classically British' upbringing that most Members of Parliament and also the Lords in the House of Lords will have had, but the Church does not (overtly/publically) interfere or influence politics (AIUI), and there are very few (no?) bible-bashing demagogues using a historic book of disputed authenticity to inform bellowing rants at any sections of society, or to justify decisions that would rigidly enforce attitudes and/or legislation that held progress (in terms of improving lives and attitudes) back.
In fact, Tony Blair, who pushed the UK into war in the middle east using a 'sexed up' document claiming 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' were in Iraq, later (when questioned during the public enquiry over the (in)accuracy of that document) made a weaseling and insincere apology about doing so
Most/all of the above is only my general, uneducated perceptions of how things stand, though, and I may well be wrong - so please do correct me if I am spouting nonsense! Unlike those shouty types in America, I am British and therefore happy to acknowledge that I may be wrong and there may be another way
In my mind, Church and State should very definitely be separate entities, either way!