Interaction Between the Government and Religious Citizens Under Conditions of Separation of Church and State

In today’s society, the more secular we become, the more of a push there is for separation of church and state. With church and state separated, we begin to question what the role of the state is in relation to those with religious backgrounds. Does this mean the government doesn’t have to pay attention to religious citizens?Does this mean they pretend that they don’t exist, and simply focus on its citizens as if they were all atheists?



Of course not. Guadium et spes, one of the four constitutions that came from the second council of Vatican II highlights how governments should treat religious citizens, and how those same citizens should treat the government.

There are times in our society when groups are persecuted because they have a strong faith in our secular society. Instances such as with the Little Sisters of the poor mentioned in another post by Clare, Christians that don’t feel they can speak up about their religion in a political environment, and many more cases. The separation of church and state can turn into an oppression of those that hold on to their religious beliefs. However, Gaudium et spes clearly states that the separation of church and state does not allow the state under any circumstances to undermine the human rights of all citizens. Gaudium et spes addresses very clearly the purpose of the state in relation to all members of society. It is clear that the church believes that “it is inhuman for public authority to fall back on dictatorial systems or totalitarian methods which violate the rights of the person or social groups”(75). The government needs to be there for all people, no matter their race or religion. The government is established to defend and protect the citizens. Gudium et spes says, “The rights of all persons, families and groups, and their practical application, must be recognized, respected and furthered, together with the duties binding on all citizen… Rulers must be careful not to hamper the development of family, social or cultural groups, nor that of intermediate bodies or organizations, and not to deprive them of opportunities for legitimate and constructive activity; they should willingly seek rather to promote the orderly pursuit of such activity”(75).

If this is not the case, and the government does not uphold these standards, especially in our democracy, individuals should stand up for their rights if they are under attack. They church also tell of how individuals should respond to potential oppression. Gaudium et spes says, “but where citizens are oppressed by a public authority overstepping its competence, they should not protest against those things which are objectively required for the common good; but it is legitimate for them to defend their own rights and the rights of their fellow citizens against the abuse of this authority, while keeping within those limits drawn by the natural law and the Gospels”(74). The church holds that we should not protest against the things which would benefit the majority, only protesting against those things truly harmful to the liberties of ourselves or others. 

Demanding from the government things that only benefit our own self-interests is not beneficial to the common good. That means we need to work together with our government, supporting them unless our rights are infringed upon. We also need to “cultivate a generous and loyal spirit of patriotism, but without being narrow-minded. This means that they will always direct their attention to the good of the whole human family, united by the different ties which bind together races, people and nations”(75). As Christians, we need to not ban against the separation of church and state, but fight for our country and our fellow citizens. We have to focus on bringing the country together rather than tearing it apart.