GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS FAITH AND POLITICS: SEPARATION OR SYNERGY? by Darren Jensen of the University of Queensland Policy Vol.21, No.3, (Spring 2005) p21-27. Religious beliefs can guide politicians while still preserving the separation of church and state. Religious contributions to politics arouse suspicion because they often proceed from outside conventional categories of modern politics. Some (eg. Latham and Vanstone) have argued that religious contributions upset the proper relationship of religious authority and liberal democracy. But the use of religious references in public debate is not contrary to the Constitution or the notion of the separation of church and state (which has to do with establishing or preferencing a religion in law), and prohibiting such contributions would, in fact, preference a rival – secularism – as the state religion. Others have argued that religion has been used to attract a right-wing constituency by ‘baptising’ a political program. It implies a manipulation of the electorate when it is highly possible that the energy actually derives from community feeling that dearly held values are being dismissed by the political and intellectual elite.

The churches’ statements actually reveal a very modest approach in which the aim is not to rule, but to be involved with the main contribution to be achieved by individuals. Jensen illustrates this extensively by reference to debate about embryos, economics and euthanasia. He concludes that a synergy between the claims of religious faith and empirical knowledge is possible.

For the full article see http://www.cis.org.au/Policy/home.htm Also see ‘Faith and Politics: the rhetoric of church-state separation’ by Darryn M. Jensen in Australian Religion Studies Review Vol. 18, No 1. For further information see http://www.aasr.org.au/