Church and State

Article

Most Tennesseans who have not been living under a rock for the past several months have heard one thing or another about the ‘God Resolution’ proposed and passed by the Knox County Commission. The resolution, as stated in the article, is intended "to urge all American citizens who have similar beliefs to proclaim to every level of government its responsibility to publicly recognize God as the foundation of our National Heritage." Needless to say, controversy ensued, not to mention confusion (at least for me).

The most pertinent cultural aspect of this story is, obviously, church and state. For some Christians, this is a perfectly respectable resolution. For me, a Christian as well, this seems sort of like pork-barrel legislation… minus the pork. Perhaps, the first question a field worker should ask would be “Why is this resolution causing so much debate, despite the fact that it doesn’t actually do anything?” A journalist, on the other hand, would probably ask questions more like “Which commissioners voted for/against the resolution?” or “Are other regions following suit?”

What is ‘actually’ going on in this particular situation would most likely depend on who is being asked. As I mentioned before, some Christians may find this to be a legitimate act of a government body, while others of the same faith may think it is frivolous. Even more so, it would probably be safe to assume that members of other faiths may have a strong opinion about the resolution, as they would be most offended by it. The fieldworker could probably conduct individual interviews to get specific reactions, while surveys of different religious groups would give a better idea of approval ratings among the public, which may in turn reveal cultural ideals. The fieldworker could find these sources out on the street, but would find the most concentrated gatherings of individuals who would be likely to have an opinion in Churches, Temples, and other gathering places.