Is religion the enemy of democracy?

#11

Hello, Friends of Democracy, 

Who is the biggest enemy of democracy? Perhaps religion.

Here is why.

For centuries, the rules of human coexistence were not made by people themselves, they (supposedly) came from God. 

The 10 Commandments, for example, which, according to the Old Testament, were given by God to Moses, laid down the basic principles of how people should live together. 

The core of democracy, however, is the opposite of such thinking. There, people no longer refer to external authorities. They decide for themselves and together what rules they want to follow in their dealings with each other. For the social order, people are the only source of values. That is what democracy means. 

In that sense, democracy has replaced religion as the commonly recognised rule giver, and therefore, democracy and religion do not go together. 

That does not mean religious practice cannot exist in a democracy. But religion must be subordinate; religious people must accept democracy in the first place. If this hierarchy is not recognised, conflict arises. 

Do you agree?

See you, 

Johannes Eber

“Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people” – Abraham Lincoln