Faith groups and institutions should not be allowed to form political parties and they should not attempt to influence the workings of government for their opinions and values by entering the realm of political discourse and attempt to elect their own politicians. Throughout our history there has been a constant argument between religion and government. Should religion play a role in government, schools and other social compasses or should it be separate? Some believe religion should be part of government while others believe there should be a separate separation. Some believe that religions should be able to influence the functioning of government and attempt to elect their own politicians. I believe the opposite. I believe religion should have no influence on how our government approves laws, elects officials, or conducts its business. Throughout this essay I will give reasons and references why I agree with the separation of government and religion. Here are some examples of conflicts that have arisen in America: same-sex marriages, abortion, in virto fertilization and equal rights between people. sexes (Coalition for the Free Exercise of Religion, nd). If religion were to govern our nation, these issues would be illegal simply because of the Bible. One of the great things about our nation is being able to make individual choices such as the issues listed above. People should not be judged or persecuted simply because they do not have the same religious beliefs as someone else. There is a significant difference between government and religious morality, even though both are ethical authorities. These two moral authorities are in conflict with each other when they both need to help people save time...... middle of paper ......ontent.bellevue.edu/content /CAS/eBooks/Kirkpatrick/Book1.mobiKing, M. L. (1963). American rhetoric. Retrieved from: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm Madison, J. (1789). The Bill of Rights. Retrieved from: http://idcontent.bellevue.edu/content/CAS/eBooks/Kirkpatrick/Book1.pdf Madison, J. (1787). The Constitution. Retrieved from: http://idcontent.bellevue.edu/content/CAS/eBooks/Kirkpatrick/Book1.pdf Mason, C. and Galusha, R., The constitution, [video file]. Retrieved from http://idcontent.bellevue.edu/content/CAS/kss/week3/ Saudi Arabia declares destruction of all churches in region (April 1, 2013). Retrieved from: http://www.charismanews.com/world/38896-saudi-arabia-declares-destruction-of-all-churches-in-region United States Constitution. (November 13, 2013). Retrieved from: http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Constitution.html