The problem with politics is that it [and at times the courts] decides religious and spiritual issues [abortion, euthanasia, same sex marriage, middle east conflict, free speech, economic policies such as taking money away from people who earned it in order to achieve "equity", legalization of drugs and many other issues] while the people deciding are far from being religious personalities. A politician is an "askan", a doer, a down to earth, practical person. Religious questions should be decided by people who are more "up there" and privy to spiritual insight acquired after many years of study and work on their character. Politicians [and courts] should just be implementing what spirituality determines. The determinations however should not be made by them. It is beyond, as they say today, their "pay grade". [The unanswerable questions ascend into the skies, far above your pay grade, whatever it may be.—Robert W. Lucky].
I am aware of the separation of "church and state" but it is not so simple b/c the "state" often encroaches on topics that relate to [what they call] "church" i.e. religion.
Like when the "state" starts telling religious schools what they are allowed and not allowed to teach. This applies not only to Chasidic schools. Anyone who takes the 9th grade biology regents has to study the theory of evolution, as I did when I attended a certain non-chasidic "Talmudical Academy" [that will remain nameless!!馃槃]. I remember our teacher [a secular Jew] telling us that we don't have to believe it but we have to study it for the regents. I don't remember anything else he taught us that year other than the fact that "human beings are also part of the animal kingdom" which was confirmed by the behavior of some of his students. But I did pass the regents [with a 75 which was the highest mark I ever remember receiving on a science test. I was not a science guy. I was a "free period" and lunch period" guy. I basically took off a lot of time from school at the end of the year in order to study like crazy. This wasn't easy given that it was in the middle of baseball season]. Maybe young impressionable Yeshiva students shouldn't be taught something which on the face of it contradicts their most basic belief in the Torah?? This should only be taught [if ever] after they have a firm basis of belief and accompanied by explanations as to why it either is not true or is true but doesn't contradict the Torah. But that wasn't provided.
