John Edwards To Admit Paternity?

The John Edwards story like no other allows the clash between religion and government to be exposed in the spirit of discerning which is most effective in social order and self government.

Historically, they were adverse to each other as early as British society in colonial America where they first encountered the coercive imposition of either Catholic or Protestant religion depending upon the King's preference. America was organized to prevent that problem by organizing for diversity in religion. But the reasons religion is respected at all is because of its roots as being used as a tool for social control of the masses, including moral control. Did humanity really have a choice but to use the mystery of supernatural control when the alternative required an adequate self government of each other, each person with different status and wealth in the community?

American government, meant to be limited, offered the only means of dealing with social control on a fair, and consistent basis by the election of representatives in accordance with Greek philosophy, not Roman philosophy, and placed religion in an extraneous position by necessity to achieve that fairness. So far, so good.

When the news of John Edwards reaches the public, however, it could be anyone. For morality cannot govern by coercion. Only a government's police power can judge whether there are any violations/laws broken which require restitution. Adultery was a law in biblical times and in modern times, but has long ago not been an enforceable crime.

Not recognizing that America is a permissive society is one of the great flaws of modern society to struggle with how once moral laws tossed aside will be implemented under government authority, and the prospect of custody/child support has been the method of dealing with that problem since in modern permissive society, both men and women have the liberty to break moral laws. Once that privilege was accorded only to men, and women were held accountable. Under government, equality demands that each be addressed equally.

Religion becoming obsolete to govern humans except in a relatively local social format had to give way to the larger obligations of state and federal law, and may therefore, be properly taxed as it should be by becoming extraneous to government, and subrogated to government laws.

There may be religious remnants that require respect, but government is not one of them, and the entitlements of government are not one of them.