Many citizens of Israel are confused on this matter and because of the assimilation of western values and ideals, they feel that so-called “separation of religion and state” should be the desired goal.
However, we are not a state like all others. This is supposed to be a Jewish state built on holy ground. If you want to see what that is supposed to look like, you need only go back to the last time we returned from a stay in the exile. It is most instructive to read the accounts of the first return from exile in the writings of Ezra and Nechemiah.
Count me among the “confused”, then!
Indeed, this is not a state like all others. The question of how exactly to coerce Torah observance and when is important. The knee-jerk response to either side is wrong.
In short, since when does the state get to do Beis Din’s job?!