Religion and Democracy

The debate over the Pope's attack on the UK's Equality Bill has prompted some commentators to suggest that the law shouldn't interfere with religious freedom, yet they don't mention how religions impact on politics and the laws that govern everyone else. For millennia this has been the case. In Britain The Church's power is inherent in the House of Lords and the Queen. It is also pervasive throughout life and death, from religious schools to religious funerals.

Of course, it's natural that a person's beliefs be expressed through how they vote and Interactive Democracy facilitates this very fairly. However, it also removes the need for the House of Lords and the 26 Lord Spirituals, making a break between Church and State.

Many Muslims take a different point of view to most Christians. To them Allah's laws are immutable and not to be molded by mere mortals. This potentially places democracy and Islam on a collision path.

ID creates laws effected by individual voters from these varied religious groups. They may be strongly influenced by foreign clerics or local priests, it doesn't matter, but the flip-side is that religious institutions be governed by majority decisions.... unless the majority decide that the Faiths can opt out.