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Freed from original sin, the City of God is the perfection of harmony between God and human beings. In his book, Augustine then finally dispels the idea of the Roman Empire being the earthly establishment of God's kingdom. It was simply too imperfect. Hence, he promoted the separation of Church and state as entities with two distinct purposes on earth.
Because of this separation, Augustine holds that Christians cannot feel fully at home in any society. Because these societies are imperfect, they are but temporary homes for Christians. Because they are imperfect, no society has the purpose of eternal salvation. Furthermore, Christian hope does not rely on any form of society or political program.
Human imperfection for Augustine meant that the Gospel was a permanently unsettling force to prevent total Christian identification with the social order. For these reasons, the heavenly Jerusalem as described by Augustine cannot exist on earth. Hence, the concept of Christendom as a society that exists on earth, but separate from society...
Law and education are the "sword" by which the sinful human being is disciplined. In this way, the state contains disorder and wrongdoing. The church, on the other hand, represents the perfect and eternal City of God.
In conclusion, Augustine therefore not only promoted the separation of Church and state, but indeed pioneered it. The Medieval prosperity of Christianity brought into the Church the corrupting influence of politics and personal gain. Having observed this, Augustine's idea of Church and state as separate entities promoted the idea of a Christianity that lives and functions within the world, but not as part of it.
Bibliography
Augustine. City of God. Retrieved from http://augnet.org/default.asp?ipageid=260&iParentid=960
Cantor, N.E. The Civilization of the Middle Ages, Harper Press, 1995.
Bibliography
Augustine. City of God. Retrieved from http://augnet.org/default.asp?ipageid=260&iParentid=960
Cantor, N.E. The Civilization of the Middle Ages, Harper Press, 1995.
Separation Church State Study by NORC which was held at the University of Chicago reveals that although abruptly divided, people's attitudes towards homosexuals are changing swiftly, young generation leads the way. Hence there is greater acceptance and positivity. Majority of public is not just in favor of same-sex relationships and marriages but they do also support elementary civil liberties and independence of expression of homosexuals overwhelmingly. This fact goes totally in
They felt that it was time the people were let free to practice what they believe and express their views and the only way to achieve this was to adopt democracy since theocracy did not provide a chance for such freedom. The other factor that probably led the founding fathers to rebel against theocracy was the fact the Church of England was being controlled by the king (Simpson, 1955).
The Catholic Church Government The internal government of the early Church was formed within the framework of the Roman Empire, and bishops exercised authority over the Christian community in each Roman municipium. By the third century, a shift took place as the bishops of each Roman province formed the habit of meeting in a provincial synod, presided over by the bishop of the capital city, meaning the metropolitan bishop or archbishop.
" 1 January 1802. Library of Congress. 19 September 2010 . Primary source document from the Library of Congress, the original text of the correspondence between Jefferson and the Danbury Baptists. Johnston, P. "A Historical Argument Against the Separation of Church and State." January 2008. Right Remedy. September 2010 . Authored by a clergyman, this website collected quotations from a number of political figures, legal documents, and primary source materials to show that
Catholic church and public policy have remarked that the members of American clergy in general, without even excepting those who do not admit religious liberty, are all in favour of civil freedom; but they do not support any particular political system. They keep aloof from parties, and from public affairs. In the United States religion exercises but little influence upon laws, and upon the details of public opinion; but it
Catholic Church in Spain and the United States The Catholic Church has been a very significant religious and political institution in the Europe. Its origins can be traced to a thousand years when Christianity was itself in its infancy. It was a symbol of colossal authority and was much regarded as an institution that was as similar to the installed governmental mechanism of any nation state. Its power and influence spread