A toxic relationship: the commitment between religion and state; break it

Religion has often been separated from spirituality, largely for reasons tied to power. When one follows religion solely to abide by imposed rules, it becomes a system of control over the human mind—a practice of obligation. But when one truly feels, and therefore believes, the mind begins to think. When this cycle of feeling, believing, and thinking matures within us, we begin to understand that religion is born from spirituality from deep emotions, from fear, and from the human need to understand. This entire process is a personal relationship between the individual and their spiritual reference.

How can something so personal, so deeply diverse within every heart and mind, become a matter of community governance or state function? Historically, this has been a toxic alignment one that has often restrained societies from evolving into truly civil states. Instead, it has created divisions under religious umbrellas, where sects feed narratives of separation, each sustained by the fear of the other.

And what if we are speaking of Lebanon a small land carrying within it a multitude of religions? How can this diversity control us? How can it prevent us from moving beyond the fear of who is socially “better”?

So who should rule? In a society where religion has been tied to social class, rights, and an internal loss of self-awareness, the agenda of sectarian division becomes undeniable. We must free our minds and our perception of one another from the framework of a sectarian state. We must keep our beliefs within our personal space, while learning to admire one another as a unified community capable of building a true civil state.

We must feel, then believe, and then think. And when we truly think, we begin to understand.