Article June 28, 1993 Issue

Church and state

Reliance on God is authorized by the highest power there is, supreme Spirit.

From the Office of The Committee on Publication M. Victor Westberg

The idea of separation of church and state was first enacted into law in the United States. This ideal fostered religious freedom. It nourished an atmosphere in which Mary Baker Eddy not only reinstated the lost practice of scientific Christian healing but also founded a church that would bring the healing truth to the world—the Church of Christ, Scientist.

From its formative years during the colonial era, right up to the present, the United States has been a haven for people who seek the freedom to worship and raise families in their chosen faith without fear of persecution. Its government came to fruition on the eastern shores of America shaped by this timeless human desire. And from this government, a Constitution and a Bill of Rights resulted that safeguard the deepest beliefs held by mankind.

Though recently it seems that laws and court decisions are challenging the freedom to worship, thinkers can see through to the ultimate outcome of the age-old conflict between the authority of the state and the authority of religion in an individual's life. This is because reliance on God in times of trouble has more than constitutional authority. It is founded upon the Scriptures —the Word of God. From Abraham to Paul, the Bible is filled with the triumphs of those who worshiped the great I am and refused to give obeisance to a mortal ruler. Unjust laws put Daniel in the lions' den; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace; and Peter and Paul into prison. But divine Love brought these devout men triumphantly through such tribulation.

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