The Necessary Separation of Church and State in America Essay

Not only did James Madison have views on the importance of religion but he was an adamant believer of the separation of church and state. Madison stated that breaking the ties between church and state would cause a growth in religious interest. He wrote about this in 1819 stating that “the number, the industry, and the morality of the priesthood and the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased by the total separation of the church from the state.” Thomas Jefferson shared this belief with Madison in his wall of separation between religion and government which is a fortification of liberty. He strongly supported the freedom of religion in America through the separation of church and state. “The phrase wall of separation between the church and the state was originally coined by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802.” The purpose of the letter was to ease fears of the wall that the Danbury, Connecticut Baptists had. Jefferson said in his letter that the wall had been built to protect them. This was used to keep the state out of the church’s business.

In the “Letter to Danbury Baptist,” the author Thomas Jefferson develops and refines the central idea of “separation between church and state” by explaining the importance of keeping a good relationship between himself and the Baptist people but also standing firm on the importance of the first amendment. The danbury Baptist people wanted to change the division of church and state but Jefferson used his rhetoric to help explain to the people that the separation of church and state is good for all men and all religions. Jefferson states, “religion is a matter which lies solely between Man

Our society lacks a moral compass today and we need to find a way to return to our country 's founding values. Is religion the answer? some may think so others may say keep church and state separate. The original statement was in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists Association. In his letter he says “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” (Jefferson 1802). After this letter was written it went unnoticed or used until the mid 1800’s when a group petitioned Congress to remove Christian principles and values from government. They claimed that there needed to be a “separation of church and state”. Again it was unused officially until 1947 when in the case of Everson verses the board of education the court wanted to build the wall high and impregnable. That wall was never supposed to be as it is now referred to. We need to have the religious freedoms free from government control. How can a private petition be taken out of text and used as a guide for our federal court? Our forefathers were influenced by important values when establishing this country. Also, there were a lot of other influences in our founders thought processes; own life experiences, education, and even self gratification. Just reading The Declaration of Independence you can see where their

The term “a wall of separation between church and state” first came from Thomas Jefferson, himself, in a response letter to Danbury Baptist association’s letter of concern regarding the church’s insecurity stemming from that with the new constitution in effect, they

Jefferson was so passionate towards his beliefs on religion, pushing him to later drafting A Bill for Religious Freedom, where he aspired to strip the state of all remains of a traditional church. As claimed by Daniel L. Dreisbach, “James Madison grandly proclaimed that the bill’s passage extinguished for ever the ambitious hope of making laws for the human mind” (Dreisbach 172). This viewpoint was very radical for Jefferson’s time, since it was largely the norm that religion and law be joined together.

In today’s society, the separation of church and state is a fundamentally important aspect of our government. Most any citizen would agree that the government should operate based on the law and the constitution, not on the individual 's religious beliefs, yet when the issue is Abortion, that stance is flipped. The debate over abortion rages on despite the supreme court giving women the right to abortion in 1973 with the ruling of Roe v Wade. Looking at both sides objectively, the pro-choice arguments lineup with facts, while the pro-life arguments are either supported by facts yet purposefully misinterpreted, or simply not factual at all. State governments pass laws that regulate abortions and abortion centers all in the attempt to close these centers down and stop women from getting abortions at all, including situations of rape or incest. Just as the government in Brave New World controls the bodies of women by keeping them on contraceptives and controlling their bodily functions through medication, the American government seeks the same control over what women do and don’t do with their body by denying them abortions and birth control.

"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 and State."5

When discussing the intertwining of church and state; soul liberty and freedom from religious belief, we must recognize that freedom and faith were at one point complementary ideas. Faith was once the foundation for freedom and vice versa. The Declaration of Independence clearly states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights." With these words from the Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers set up their vision of what this country would come to be. Among those rights, which are deemed “inalienable”, is the right of religious liberty. (Neumann, 1990: p. 241)

The Jeffersonian ideals are further expressed in a document from Jefferson to Samuel Miller, a minister (Document B) where Jefferson strongly opposes the idea of government in correlation to religion. He clearly states that no power according to the Constitution was delegated to the general government to assume any authority in religious discipline. In addition to Document B, Document H displays the Jeffersonians strict interpretation of the federal Constitution. Here, James Madison shares his decision with congress on an Internal Improvements Bill. The bill asked approval for federal funds that would go towards constructing roads and canals and improving water navigation. Despite understanding the importance and benefit of the bill, Madison withheld his signature from the bill solely because this power was not expressly given by the Constitution. He goes on to state that

In today’s society, the separation of church and state is a fundamentally important aspect of our government. Most any citizen would agree that the government should operate based on the law and the constitution, not on the individual 's religious beliefs, yet when the issue is Abortion, that stance is flipped. The debate over abortion rages on despite the supreme court giving women the right to abortion in 1973 with the ruling of Roe v Wade. Looking at both sides objectively, the pro-choice arguments line up with facts, while the pro-life arguments are supported by facts yet purposefully misinterpreted, or simply not factual at all. State governments pass laws that regulate abortions and abortion centers all in the attempt to

Thomas Jefferson believed that all Americans should have the "freedom of language and sentiment…as derived from the laws of nature" . In his most famous document, the Declaration of Independence, he stated "that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain [inherent and] inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" . Jefferson was a strong advocate of a bill of rights within the Constitution. In a letter to James Madison, he says that he "did not like…the omission of a bill of rights providing…for freedom of religion [and for] freedom of the press" . Jefferson was in favor of religious freedom because it did him "no injury for [his] neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god" . Jefferson wrote the Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom which essentially stated "that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion" . He summarizes his feelings in letters to both Elbridge Gerry and Edward Carrington, where he writes that he is "against all violations of the constitution" because "the basis of our governments should be the opinion of the people, [and] the very first object should be to keep that right" .

	...War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength. The First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition...( First Amendment).

The United States Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, and Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802, are all important documents in our nation’s history and religion. These historical documents were the biggest influence in our country and they continue to shape our powerful nation. In comparing these documents, I will decipher the differences between what the signers of the Declaration of Independence and what the U.S. Constitution thought about the separation of the church and state.

          From early times in his public career, Jefferson was the subject of attacks on religious grounds. Although he kept his opinions regarding religion very much to himself, and considered this a very private concern his insistence of the complete separation of church and state was well-known. In a now famous letter to Danbury Baptists, Thomas Jefferson wrote “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god...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 and state.” This letter affirmed Jefferson’s belief that church and state should be separated and includes the celebrated phrase, “a wall of eternal separation” (Maier, 2000). His views on religion are also expressed in Document B******, Jefferson states, “I consider the government of the United States as interdicted by the Constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doctrines,

In Jefferson’s inauguration, he was seeking to reach out to his political rivals, the common people and government officials, in attempt to mend the infringement between Federalists and Republicans. For many years, the federalists and republicans have been fighting for power in the central government and how the power must be divided. As a republican, Jefferson strongly believed in following the constitution. The main intention of the speech was to end disagreements between both parties, as well as to inform his people about the government. He also believed that everyone should unite