The concept of separation of church and state dates back to 1791 when that concept was incorporated into the 1st amendment to the U.S. constitution. In its most basic form, it prohibits the government from establishing a national religion. In a more expanded interpretation, it means religion should not interfere with government, and government should not interfere with religious choices.

In real life, things are not so clearly defined.

With Christianity being the prevailing religion of the United States, it is not surprising that religion and politics find themselves strange, if not conflicted, bedfellows.

If we step back and attempt a neutral analysis of Christian churches, we might recognize that political affiliations and differing Bible interpretations play a part in the fundamental convictions that define the differences between various “brands” of Christian churches.

And that is where the separation of church and state becomes blurred. What is even more alarming, it is the point where some churches appear to have strayed from the basic precepts of Christianity.

If we attempt to be logical and neutral in our appraisal of the various denominations, we would probably recognize that most of them seem to have focused on a particular passage or concept in the Bible. In the course of doing so, they have a tendency to ignore, disregard or diminish the importance of conflicting elements in the Bible, or elements that do not support their fundamental view.

It is its own form of politics – within the church itself.

From a Christian viewpoint, it is distressing to see some churches adopt a political stance that, not only violates the boundary between church and state but stands in conflict with the basic concepts of Christianity itself.

There is no question that the Bible contains elements that seem contradictory. And we need to acknowledge that the Bible is, in part, a historical document. We need also to accept that the recording of the Bible texts was done by human hands, and those human hands are prone to mistakes. And more mistakes could have crept in by means of language interpretation over the centuries.

In short, the Bible can contain confusing and contradictory information. Unfortunately, this has led to a scenario where those who identify as Christian find themselves facing a menu of churches, and may choose a church based on how closely a church mirrors their own beliefs rather than the principles of Christianity. In some cases, the church leadership’s political beliefs are the deciding factor. Over the centuries, we have developed a culture of “pick and choose” when it comes to church affiliation.

But how do we decide which is the right church?

The solution is simple and obvious once we drill down to the core message.

Long before the dawn of Christianity, there was a basic set of rules for human behavior – the Ten Commandments. Christianity added depth and reinforcement to those rules and began the construction of a toolkit to apply those rules – the churches.

For some of humanity, there is resistance to a formal religion. For them, and for those who would distort the message of the church, there is a simple solution.

Focus on the core message of Christianity. Be a decent and loving human being.

It’s that simple.