Where Do You Draw The Line?

One of the on-going struggles in American society is between the views and practices of a religion and the laws and requirements of the civil society. In the June 14 NY Times was a story about the conflict between the Swartzentruber Amish sect in Nicktown, PA and the local sewage authority and the state Environmental Protection Department. The Swartzentruber Amish split from the Old Order Amish in 1913 out of fear that the Old Order were becoming too modern.

The current controversy is over the disposition of human waste. The state mandates that the members of the Swartzentruber sect install a 5000 gallon precast holding tank and allow the periodic testing of the waste’s content by an electronic meter. The group believes that both requirements are against their religious teaching because they are too modern. The state is concerned about health issues. The Swartzentrubers are concerned about holiness.

Who should win the dispute?

If you think the state, does that mean that the civil government should have broad control over a religious group’s practices? Or, control only in the case of practices that may affect health or other people? Where do you draw the line?

If you think the sect, does that mean that any religious group should be allowed to do anything, as long it is defensible by their belief structure? Where do you draw the line?