Argumentative Essay: Civil Law Vs. Religious Law

Dr. Payne

English 103

26 October 2015

Civil Law vs. Religious Law All people are endowed with the basic human rights of freedom of religion and the pursuit of happiness; the American government was put in place to provide its people with the laws they desire to safely and freely pursue their own individual happiness, in whatever way they choose. Everyone has the desire to be happy instilled within them; that is apparent in the way that society never remains stagnant, but is always looking for ways to improve. As mentioned in the article Nation the happiness of pursuit, “[n]o American simply inherits happiness” (Kluger, Aciman, and Steinmetz 7); therefore, it must be sought after. Everyone is unique and will pursue their happiness in

As stated in the article Why Gay Marriage is Good for Straight America, when it comes to gay marriage, “[t]he main stumbling block was religion” (Sullivan 4). The two sides are apparent, their is the side taken by the Christian Church which believes that marriage is between a man and a woman; and the side which supports same sex marriage. Those who support gay rights have already grasp the concept that marriage is a natural right and anyone who interferes with this is interfering with a large group of people pursuing their happiness. Although America is a nation that stands for religious freedom and equality, it is still founded upon Christian principles; it was a big disturbance within our judicial system to legalize a practice that goes so far against those Christian principles. As stated in Understanding The First Amendment’s Religious Clauses, the belief in God is “[a] belief that has been of central importance to Americans throughout their history.” (McElroy 40). However, even though our nation was founded on Christian beliefs, that does not mean that others should be punished for not following Christianity. Our government does acknowledge the fact that each citizen is entitled to their own religion, but occasionally that knowledge gets lost in the fact that America was founded on one particular religion. Eventually, same sex marriage was legalized, but that was never the

Therefore, it would be impossible for our government to provide its people with any set of religious laws that would be appealing to everybody. Our government has already done the best it can by granting each individual with the right to practice and display their religion however they choose. This is discussed very wisely in the article Understanding The First Amendments Religion Clauses when it reveals “[i]n any large population, what gratifies the religious sensibilities of one person or group of persons is bound to offend another person or group of persons.” (McElroy 39). The argument that exist between church and state is not between the church and the government at all; it is within the people. The First Amendment has already established that the governments hands are tied when it comes to religious matters. Everyone holds their own unique mindset, even though they tend to group with people who share the same opinions; this world would be relatively boring if everyone was not a little different. The quarreling begins when an individual or group decides to close their mind to opposing groups, instead of listening to the reasoning behind why they hold those different view points. If religion is what binds those of similar beliefs, then a mutual respect for others should be what binds those with opposing beliefs. Whether we like it or not, we are all bound by