"West Wing" and the Separation of Church and State
Sometimes I think that "West Wing" should be required viewing by political science and law classes, not to mention by the right wing "Christians" and assorted other reactionaries. One of the best treatments of the separation of church and state I've ever seen is the episode "Take This Sabbath Day" from Alan Sorkin's wonderful series. The tension between one's personal beliefs and one's political role in a secular government is done so beautifully that I am in awe of the depth of understanding of our government and personal religion that it took to visualize and write it. I hate to go into detail about the episode, as I do not want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it. But if you want to see, in the time frame of just one hour, a wonderful presentation of the tension of a religious man in a secular government of ALL people, not just those of his religion, track down this episode and watch it. As all of the "West Wing" episodes, it is saved from being "preachy" not only by the fantastic writing, but also by the weaving in of sub-themes revealing the heights and depths of political interactions. I just don't see how any one can write this well and can present so many truths to us.