God's Laws are intuitive and exist outside of religious doctrine.

Submitted by trans-parere (Canada), Apr 26, 2008 at 23:06

Dear Syed Kasim,

Because without such separation religions and religious leaders feel it is their right to control the totality of peoples lives and would with out hesitation direct their religious flock to undermine or support political agendas according to that religious doctrine. We of the WEST have already dealt with this during the enlightenment and have decided Religion could have jurisdiction over the soul and the people would have jurisdiction over how they will be governed. We don't need anymore religious wars the likes of the middle ages. We also separate our military to avoid any military dictatorship from emerging. We like our institutions to have their own place and their authority under the rule of the people.

I'm guessing you must be Moslem and the idea of separation of religion and state something still to be grappled with and that which is not underlined in your historical perception of people deserving a voice in how they interact with their world but, rather dictated as to how they ought to view the state and their neighbours. Which answers why democracy is not an Islamic construct.

Jesus is a defining separation between OLD Testament and The NEW Testament, and while Paul is an important voice, he is not the director of religious doctrine. Many Apostles and Saints have influenced the direction of Christianity as well as an inclusive human understanding written into the reading of the Holy Bible. Being that the apostles and the many Saints have come from various nations and cultures. Jesus stepped away from tribal exclusions by seeking out and including the Gentiles in his ministry.

The OLD laws or God's laws are the defining laws of Western society. ie: The Ten Commandments. These ten commandments are universal and can be found in most any organised society absent of religious doctrine[not counting cults like the Thugees or others] . Lost tribes of the Amazon never having heard of Christianity or Islam have these moral imperatives written on their soul by God at the moment of their birth. Every culture has it's God. No one, Moslem, Jew, Christian, Hinu, Buddhist, or pagan can say in reference to these laws that they never knew.
.Honor your father and your mother
.You shall not murder.
.You shall not commit adultery.
.You shall not steal.
.You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
.You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
These are the bedrock of every decent society long before the clash of cultures.

In political theory, democracy describes a small number of related forms of government and also a political philosophy. A common feature of democracy as currently understood and practiced is competitive elections. Competitive elections are usually seen to require freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and some degree of rule of law. Civilian control of the military is often seen as necessary to prevent military dictatorship and interference with political affairs. In some countries, democracy is based on the philosophical principle of equal rights.

In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the people, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions.In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and freedom from the government imposition of religion upon the people, within a state that is neutral on matters of belief, and gives no state privileges or subsidies to religions.

Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice, and specifically rejects the supernatural and the spiritual as warrants of moral reflection and decision-making.

With a little more reading you will find that one does not necessitate the other, but that neither idea of secularism nor human secularism would likely transpire in a system void of democratic principle.
Read Jared's April 24th post below.

Cheers

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