Essay: Religion and American Government…How separate? April 2012
Summary: As we approach Easter, I selected a thorny subject to discuss.
In 1787 the Continental Congress commissioned the first penny. The motto
was "Mind Your Own Business”…not very religious. In 1864, during the
Civil War, the Union introduced a 2-cent coin with the motto "In God We
Trust". In 1956, “In God We Trust” was mandated for all our currency.
Yet, our forefathers created the First Amendment of the Constitution:
the right of freedom of religion. In 2012, we are among the most
religious people in the world but our government plays a small role in
promoting, endorsing or funding religious institutions. Today, there is a
debate about the separation of Church and State and religious/moral
issues regarding abortion, in vitro fertilization, contraception,
marriage between two people of the same sex, and even birth control
pills. These ethical/moral subjects have become heated during the
presidential election season. This essay offers some history and
perspective. I realize that this will be a long, perhaps tedious read.
Since the issues regarding religion and government are complex and are
rarely black and white, their history and evolution are placed in a
“Detailed Review” section.
The full essay is attached.
DAVID SOWERS April 2012
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Is Conservatism Our Default Ideology?
New research provides evidence that, when under time pressure
or otherwise cognitively impaired, people are more likely to express
conservative views.
A research team led by University of Arkansas psychologist Scott Eidelman
argues that conservatism — which the researchers identify as “an
emphasis on personal responsibility, acceptance of hierarchy, and a
preference for the status quo” — may be our default ideology. If we
don’t have the time or energy to give a matter sufficient thought, we
tend to accept the conservative argument. Eidelman and his colleagues’ paper will surely outrage manyon the
left (who will resist the notion of conservatism as somehow natural) and
the right (who will take offense to the idea that their ideology is
linked to low brainpower.) The researchers do their best to preemptively
answer such criticism.
Researchers at CalTech MedTransplant have also weighed in relative to the anomoly of disparity in cost of brainial transplants. Michael Cohen, MD, head of the school's transplant unit, noted that the cost of brainial transplants of patient-donors of conservative ideology cost
about 60% less than those of liberal ideology, noting that the primary reason is that conservative brains have more mileage on them, i.e. they tend to be "used brains."
see rest of gallup survey below.
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