| Title |
Cook, Rhett Cannon_MED_2020 |
| Alternative Title |
BABYLON VERSUS GOD: TEACHING THE CLASH BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION |
| Creator |
Cook, Rhett Cannon |
| Collection Name |
Master of Education |
| Description |
The clash between government and religion has happened for centuries. It is a power struggle between the state and the religious, generally over a government law that the faithful believed comprised some aspect of their faith. While the government or the religion endorsed by the state have drawn a hard line to enforce their will, the opposing religion refused to obey the law because it violated their most sacred beliefs and a desire for some form of political autonomy. Committed to living their faith, the religious resolved to pay the price by fighting a war against government forces. During these historic clashes, the government demonized the noncompliant religious, calling them crazy, heretics, and rebels. The religious often labeled the government antichrist, Babylon, and the devil. Both sides justified atrocities against their opposition based on political or religious worldviews or a combination of both. During the Medieval to late Medieval periods, the government enforced the state religion of Roman Catholicism against those who were practicing a minority religion and were thus deemed heretics. From the Enlightenment to modern times, the State practiced atheism, marxism, or secularism against folk Catholicism, mainstream Roman Catholicism, or apocalyptic biblical fundamentalism. The State had vast resources at its disposal to wage war. This included not only economic, legal, and military capital but also mass media to monopolize and amplify the rectitude of their cause and reinforce the wickedness of their enemies. Despite the overwhelming odds against them, the underdog religious believers saw themselves on the side of truth and God against an evil authoritarian government that was fighting for the forces of darkness. For the State, the rule of law is the highest sovereign while for the religious, the sovereignty of God is absolute and must be obeyed, even when the State says otherwise. |
| Subject |
Religion |
| Keywords |
Government and religion; Law and religion; War; Media |
| Digital Publisher |
Stewart Library, Weber State University |
| Date |
2020 |
| Language |
eng |
| Rights |
The author has granted Weber State University Archives a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce their theses, in whole or in part, in electronic or paper form and to make it available to the general public at no charge. The author retains all other rights. |
| Source |
University Archives Electronic Records; Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. Stewart Library, Weber State University |
| Format |
application/pdf |
| ARK |
ark:/87278/s6fafx6y |
| Setname |
wsu_smt |
| ID |
96797 |
| Reference URL |
https://digital.weber.edu/ark:/87278/s6fafx6y |
