The blog name MostlyShallowThoughtsButOccasionallyDeepContent.com was too long for me to remember. I thought of making up a word and using that, but seriously, who does that?

I do have one correction to your statement. Our churches aren’t required to register with the government. A group of people (which I use to mean “church”) can gather and worship without any notification to the government. Groups who wish to become a corporate entity, however, are required to register. Here, I’m speaking to the gathering of a group for worship rather than an organization that wants tax breaks. Freedom of religion dictates that I can worship in whatever way I choose (assuming that I do not trample on the rights of others, of course.) In China, this type of gathering is outlawed. All gatherings must be approved by the government.

You are not far off in your view of history. “The church” does not have a great history when it comes to human rights. unfortunately, this is because of power-hungry misinterpretations of the Bible. The Gospel of Christ is one of love, grace, and sacrifice of self. It is not one of autocratic demands, forced beliefs, or legislated morality.

One thing I would caution, however, is that you carefully weigh the difference between separation of church and state and the influence of one on the other. I don’t think that religious beliefs can truly be separated from political views on an ideological level. For instance, if my faith compels me to clothe the naked and feed the hungry, then that will have some influence on my political views and choices. That’s an ideological influence. On the other hand, if the state demanded that my church perform these actions or if my church demanded that I vote a certain way, that’s melding the two on a political level, which is what our founding fathers fought against.

Finally, I don’t think that we’re “much worse than China” when it comes to human rights. Our politicians may try to push religious, liberal, conservative, or whatever agendas on us, but we have safeguards to help us fight against that. Please view the government of China’s record on human rights and religious freedoms. While I may face an inconvenience from my government, I don’t face death or jail because of my views. I think you are letting your emotions speak more in hyperbole than what is warranted.

Seperation of church and state is reqired for a free people.