Running Head: THE SEPERATION OF CHURCH AND STATE 1

The Separation of Church and Sate

Aldo Aceves

University of Texas at El Paso

RWS MW 3:00-4:20

2-17-17
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Niles, Emma, Deirdre Fulton / Common Dreams, Juan Cole / Informed Comment, Jordan Riefe, Carlos

Lozada, and Sarah Wesley. "Church and State: Nick Anderson." Truthdig. N.p., 18 Oct. 2014. Web. 19

Feb. 2017.
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Introduction

The image referenced on the cover page made by Nick Anderson, depicts many forms of

Rhetorical devices like Pathos, Logos, and Ethos within its clever demise. Some background

information about this issue can be found in the development of the Constitution during the

transition of state powers from European Monarchies. The issues and understanding of

separation do not appear in black and white to some. In fact, newly forming countries and

government struggle to place an unbiased state in which these two branches act separately. As

mentioned the United States has passed through this innuendo decades ago during the forming of

the Constitution; where the founding fathers decided on a system where people can exercise any

religion with common legal rights without prosecution. This meant that an individual will be

protected or prosecuted without any type of religious prejudice or conflict. For example, in the

Bible were Christianity and Catholicism derive their morality and ethics, states that drinking

alcohol on a Sunday is sinful and should be punishable. Also, one of the Bibles laws says that

thou shall not take thy lords name in vane meaning that people are not allowed to say certain

phrases because it is sinful to do so. The issue of this troublesome situation is that these laws in

which apply to few religions collide with other religions who consider these sins to be a

blessing. Therefore, many religious laws collide with one another making an undetermined form

of law in which all citizens are sinful convicts.

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Logos

The first rhetorical device that is being shown in Church and State by Nick Anderson is

Logos. As how the image is represented and titled, the author wanted to give the spectator his

idea of the current separation of church and state. In greater depth, the image shows two

buildings, one saying Church and the other State as well as a rock wall and a crowd of

people; one of the individuals holds a large hammer as the others spectate around him. The rock

wall contains a demolished hole in which the characters seem to pass through since they appear

to be on the opposite side of their domain. The person with the large hammer has a comment in

large lettering saying, Youd better stay on your side of the wall! What we can conclude from

the given this scenario is that a group of people that represent the church demolished the wall

between them and the State building. Afterwards the group crosses and invade the state by

proclaiming that the state should stay on their side, implying that the religious group has the

right to take what they want. Over all, the conclusion that can be drawn by this image is specified

by the wall that separates the Church and State, has been torn down by the Church as it tries to

invoke itself in the States domain. The States domain being the authority, laws and court

decisions that are being used to bring Legal justice. As to the wall, representing the division

between the two entities that emphasizes how there is no link between them. But why is the

Church invading the State? As how Anderson it restating, there should be a division of church

and state but many religious groups try to infiltrate the governments system and rewrite said

system.
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Pathos

Nick Andersons Church and State also shows Pathos in many ways. As viewers see

this image one cannot help but feel disillusioned as how the image depicts religion, completely

contrary as to how society believes it to be. The Author is not devaluing or demoting religion it

just shows how many people who are forcing their own religion on society. That is why

Anderson does not label the church as Christian, Muslim, or Jewish; but simply labels it enough

to show that it is religion that should know when and when not to cross boundaries. The Author

also makes the image joyful by making an ironic remark as to how the religious group rudely

welcomes itself to its neighbors property, and then exclaims that their neighbor(State) should not

be crossing sides.

Ethos

Finally, the Ethos given in the image by Nick Anderson is simply an opinion. None the

less his credibility can be seen by the publisher, in this case being Houston Chronicles. Houston

Chronicles is a large newspaper industry that checks their employees work before publishing. As

like any other job position the employees must be well informed, and constantly updated in

todays issues. The author should always give valid reasoning and state what society thinks. For

these reasons is why Nick Anderson is a valid source. In conclusion, Church and State by Nick

Anderson gives a true idea and meaning to the separation of Church and State.