Response to William Trial

William asked, "When it comes to subject of religion, should an individual segregate their personal beliefs (Religious) from ethical and legal decisions?". First, I believe that it is impossible to separate personal beliefs from legal decisions and policy making. All laws are reflections of a society's values and morals. If your morals stem fro religious beliefs, than you will feel that your morals are just as valid as anybody else's. Second, I don't see anything wrong with basing political and legal opinions on religious beliefs. Since all beliefs are subjective, it shouldn't really matter where your morals stem from. Whether they have been shaped by personal experiences, empirical information, religion, or anything else, all beliefs are equally valid. Since we live in a democracy, our laws are supposed to reflect the values our society as a whole can agree upon. If the majority of our society has religious beliefs that impact their political views, then our laws should reflect that.