Which is more powerful? State law or religious law?

Student’s Name
Tutor
Institution
Date
Which is powerful? Religious law or state law?Religious law can be defined as codes of morality and ethics upheld by individuals as required by God, for instance, Hindu customary law, the Mosaic code and the Islamic law. The reference to all the religious laws are the various religious books like the Bible and Quran. State law can be defined as the law passed by the state legislature and signed by the state governor in the United States. This state law draws its reference from the constitution. Neither the state law nor religious law is powerful over the other because the application of these laws depends on who is applying them (Kantorowicz et al). Basing on the United States constitutional law of marriage where it allows individual to marry people of their choice irrespective of the gender. This law contradicts with religious morals, and people consider it as sinful although according to the constitution of the United States it is legally binding. Although marriage is both legal and religious, the government participates in it as a licensing body, collecting taxes and protecting the property ownership while the religion plays the social aspect (Knauer, 2015). Considering the aspect of life both the state law and the religious law protects life and considers it sacred. The state comes up with legislation envisaged in the bill of rights on how to protect and uphold life. Through the court system, the state law prosecutes those who murder others (Sun, Weiping, & Zhang, 167-187).

The state law also has a provision on when to protect life and when to execute life of an individual. On the other hand, the religious law also protects life. In the book of Exodus chapter 20:14 of the King James Version Bible, it states that do not kill. This declaration is part of the Mosaic Law. In the same Mosaic Law, law offenders when it stated that an eye for an eye. But with the introduction of the gospel, it protects life through peace, love and forgiveness. In conclusion, the state law and religious laws borrow heavily from each other, and none can be powerful over the other. One can apply constitutional laws and principles while respecting the religious law. Some individuals do not believe in any religious law but uphold to high-level their religious practice and beliefs.
Work cited
Kantorowicz, Hermann, Archibald Hunter Campbell, and A. L. Goodhart. The definition of law.
Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Knauer, Nancy J. “Religious Exemptions, Marriage Equality, and the Establishment of
Religion.” UMKC Law Review 83.1 (2015).
Sun, Weiping, and Mingcang Zhang. “The Illusionary Sun: Religion, Human Life, and Cultural
Reconstruction.” The “New Culture”. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2015. 167-187.