Torah Im Derech Eretz: Rabbi Dr Isaac Breuer's Moriah pt 8: The State vs. Idolatry & Christianity

Fathom Summary:

To trace the historical evolution of religion's relationship with the state.

Key Takeaways

• Ancient Religion: A nationalized, state-sanctioned force with no conflict between religious and secular justice.
• Christianity: A messianic movement that, after its founder's failed return, became a Church. It separated religion from the state, offering only personal salvation and dismissing national law as irrelevant.
• Modern State: The state's power eclipsed the Church's. The French Revolution then introduced liberalism, making religion a private matter of conscience and separating belief from state-enforced law.

Topics

The Ancient State & Nationalized Religion

• A state requires three independent authorities for checks and balances:
  • Legislative: Determines laws (e.g., parliament).
  • Judiciary: Judges are independent, guided only by conscience.
  • Executive: The governing body (e.g., cabinet).
• Ancient religion was nationalized, serving as the state's official divinity.
  • This created no conflict between religious and national justice.
  • The state's priests were essentially civil servants.
• Example: The Tower of Babel was an attempt to create a universal, authoritarian nation. Its failure led to the "nationalization of divinity," where each nation adopted its own gods.

Christianity: From Messianic Hope to Church

• Christianity emerged from a historical "giving up of hope" after Rome's conquest proved the weakness of national gods.
• Core Beliefs:
  • Accepted the Jewish concept of a merciful Creator.
  • Rejected the concept of God as the "King of the nations" (Hashem Tzva'o).
  • Focused on personal salvation for the oppressed, symbolized by a single "son of man."
• Initial Stance: A messianic movement focused on an imminent end-of-days.
  • This led to a separation of religion and state: "Give to God what is God's, and to Caesar what is Caesar's."
• Evolution into a Church:
  • When the end-of-days did not arrive, Christianity became an institution.
  • It offered personal salvation for the afterlife, dismissing this world's affairs as a "veil of tears."
  • It mocked the importance of law, creating a gap between the "holy" and "profane."

The Modern State & Private Religion

• Medieval Power Struggle: The Church demanded supreme governance over states, leading to centuries of conflict.
• Reformation: Protestantism subordinated the church to the state, creating national churches (e.g., Anglican).
• Enlightenment & French Revolution:
  • The state's power eclipsed the Church's.
  • The French Revolution introduced liberalism, making religion a private matter of conscience.
  • Key Principles: Freedom of conscience and religious tolerance.
  • Rationale: Belief cannot be compelled; forced religious activity is unethical hypocrisy.