One of the many guiding principles that America was founded on, among the other amenities and liberties provided by the Bill of Rights is the separation of church and state. The phrase “separation between church & state” is generally traced to a January 1, 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, addressed to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut, and published in a Massachusetts newspaper. Jefferson wrote,
“I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.” Such a principle as proposed by a figure such as Jefferson would surely be held in a high regard, as the other fundamental rights are.
But unfortunately, unlike the other fundamental rights that they have fought so hard to preserve, politicians have taken it upon themselves to have their religion spill over into their politics, and even worse: become a guiding and critical factor. Senate-elect Roy Moore, now in the spotlight as the intense competition for seats in Congress progresses, gained infamy for refusing to remove a plaque of the Ten Commandments that he installed in the Alabama Supreme Court. For prominent government figures to endorse a politician with these views violates the original language of the Bill of Rights that Republicans have fought so hard to protect recently. Such a drastic event truly represents the frightening turn that American politics is taking.
Moore’s situation is only a microcosm of the true battle between the church and government institutions; conflicts range from debates about contraceptive use to evolution being taught in schools to the nationwide debate about abortion. The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of the Hobby Lobby not providing contraceptives to their employees as their concept violated the owners’ beliefs. This decision, issued by the highest court in the land, does not signify a bright future for religious tolerance in this country as Hobby Lobby’s owners, staunch evangelical Christian, were able to establish a precedent for any other instances where the religious beliefs of employees come into conflict with their employers’.
Although religion has always been infused with the government’s activity (“In God We Trust” is on every dollar and coin), the trend towards a Christian state is growing with steps taken to limit immigration, with Muslim bans only contributing to the sentiment. Ted Cruz’s famous exclamation, “God Bless the great state of Iowa!”, is another example; Republican leadership is playing to their strong religious base, but also alienating others. In this trying time of division, it is important to keep in mind that America was never intended to be a Christian nation, even if the nation is filled with Christians.
