stand in the corner and think about what you've done

It's official. All my best thinking happens in the bathroom. Tonight, as I washed my face I realised why the Catholic Church is so paranoid about gay marriage. If only my thesis had so many moments of sheer brilliance.

So the Church has been involved in lobbying government for years. Pro-life and environmental agendas have been pushed for years. Admittedly, some agendas have been better than others. But in the agendas lies the problem. In my opinion, the Church shouldn't be attempting to influence government at all.

Yes, okay there is scripture to counter that. I know, and rest assured I'm familiar with it. But this isn't the ancient world. We don't stone people for wearing cotton-poly blends. You can't pick and choose.

Jefferson had it right, and we need something just as clear up here in the North. Church and State need to be separate. Together, neither can flourish. Jefferson's concern, and indeed the concern of the earliest Puritans, was that the State would attempt to control the Church. Now we face the opposite problem.

The Church has spent years trying to influence government policy. Now, they're worried they're going to get as good as they've given.

Under Canadian law, no church can marry people without a document from the government - the marriage license. Without the license, churches can only give blessings. In short, the Church does not have any power, separate from the government, to marry people. Keep in mind that marriage itself is a legal, not theological term. When the government allowed gay marriage, it only meant that gay people could get married under the law. The Church was never under any obligation to give a blessing, or to allow gay marriages within the Church.

And like a scared child, the Church is now worried that all the poking and proding of the State is about to come back and bite them in the ass. If the Church can influence government policy, why couldn't the State influence Church policy?

Of course, I highly doubt that the State would overstep their bounds in such a way. It seems the government has more respect for beliefs, morality, and tolerance than the Church.

Like arguing children, the Church and the State need to be separated for a while. I recommend that the Church go stand in the corner for a while and think about what it's done.