Is it fair to say that Politics corrupt religion or is it the other way around?

People corrupt both ideas and institutions.
It's always people

>>17873513
Interesting take. I wonder what what causes that

>>17873508 (OP)
Religion is a tool the government uses to control & manipulate the population
Politics is Treachery
Religion is Brainwashing

Both mechanisms occur, but I believe that the former is more common. See for example the yankee/dixie split in American evangelicalism.

>>17873508 (OP)
The other way around. Religion has no place in politics

>>17873508 (OP)
For most if human history, there was no discernibly split between politics and history.

The Senators were a class of hereditary religious functionaries and the Emperor was the first priest of the realm.
The priests of ancient Mesopotamia were in charge of the economy.
The Emperor of China performed the most important public religious rites.
ect.

>>17873514
Some human beings are selfish/arrogant/shrewd and manage to profit off other people's selflessness/meekness/naivety

>>17873673
Separatio of church and state is a tongue-in-cheek statement by the government: "To be honest, we don't know which religion is the correct one".
It may generate liberty per se, but it's also a symptom of spiritual decadence