The Not So Holy Way Essay

History shows a pattern of change in relation to religious involvement of governmental affairs. As religion becomes less a part of American life, the court develops new laws to accommodate our new society. Look to the communities we live in presently and ask yourself if the American people are facing oppression of religious freedom, a freedom listed in our Constitution under the First Amendment. This spirals into an abyss of politics. Is same-sex marriage a personal matter or a public one? Is the Republican Party fair in opting to end abortion? Should a woman have contraceptive included in her health insurance plan despite the religious views of her employer? This is one of the areas in which

Although “God” is mentioned in the Constitution, this country was built upon the principle of separation of church and state. Despite this ideal, those elected into office: propose, pass, and deny laws based on their religious beliefs, completely disregarding the previously mentioned principle. The problem with that is that the country is so ethnically and culturally diverse that one religion representing an entire nation of hundreds of religions is selfish and unfair, not to mention un-American.

Even when the Constitution establishes a separation between church and state, traces of religion can still be found in public and government environments, such as the Pledge of Allegiance containing the words ‘under God’, American currency having ‘In God we trust’ and other such events and places. Consequently, this prevalence of Christian ideology violates all Americans’ first amendment right to freedom of and from religion and has a negative impact all citizens as it conflicts with their individual beliefs, religious or not.

Today our theology is changing. We are less tolerant to religion. An academic scholar believes, “Tolerance is a uniquely human phenomenon, construct and concept. It is therefore of import that the inculcation of (religious) tolerance in terms of culture, religion, habits, customs, clothing, cuisine, manners et cetera should start at an early age” (Potgieter et al. 6). Americans, as a whole, seem to be in a race of religious dominance. Americans, and people in general, do not like believing or thinking our perceptions are incorrect. We corner and judge others who do not share our ideology. This comes from fear. People fear being wrong and fear unfamiliar thought and actions. A teacher of mine, Mr. Carter, believes we live with “blinders” over our eyes. When the majority of us see a woman wearing a hijab or a man of Indian descent we automatically assume they are a terrorist. We know absolutely nothing about the person except that they follow a religion that is assumed to be consisted of terrorists. Isn’t our country supposed to be founded on religious freedom? This is not the only case of religious misjudgment. Our country experiences a multitude of these infractions daily; however, many of these infringements do not require federal action. Unknown or misinterpreted moral issues are resolved in

For the entirety of the United States’ existence, freedom of religion has been a guiding principle for the nation. Despite, or perhaps because of, the deep, varied religious heritage of many Americans, America was the first country in history to abolish religious qualifications for civic engagement. However, paradoxically, the United States also has a history of discrimination based on religion, as seen in historical bigotry towards Catholics, some Protestant sects, Jews, Atheists, Mormons, Muslims, and other marginalized groups. Indeed, a common theme in American history, continuing to this day, is the conflict between America’s secular ideal and its often faith-dominated reality. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, religious

Religious intolerance has a been a plague on our society throughout time. In the 1700’s my ancestor, a French Huguenot named Leonard Varnado, sailed to America to escape execution for his beliefs. He was not the only one, many people from France, England and Scotland traveled to America in pursuit of religious freedom. America was founded by the people who left their lives, homes, and possessions behind to practice what they believed freely. Today many Americans still face the same persecution that their ancestors sought to escape all those years ago. In 2015 Supreme Court gave same-sex couples their long deserved right to marry, but many people still protest it due to it being against their own religious belief system. In fact, Senator and

The breakdown of the separation of church and state occurs when one religion views their conception of truth as absolute, and attempts to use public policy as a means of imposing its will on the rest of the citizens. When a religion does this, and fails to appreciate and respect other world views, it fosters a political environment of intolerance and hate that is detrimental to the productivity of discourse. This intolerance of other people’s views, or bigotry, is practiced widely on both sides of every political issue in a battle between religious ideologies. A prime example of this fight between religions is on the issue of abortion. Liberal democrats, who worship the divine power of humanity, fight persistently for women to have the right

Since the beginning of human civilization, there continues to be a strong relationship between the state and their chosen religious institution. According to an interpretation of an anecdote of Thomas Jefferson, “He didn’t say he say he believed in the Christian God; he evaded that point. But Jefferson did agree with what all his colleagues in the founding thought that a people cannot maintain liberty without religion” (Novak, M., 2006). While the relationship is inevitable as it is used to unify a population, true government should seek as diminished a relationship as possible. While religious freedom is essential to what America was founded on, it cannot infiltrate our governmental systems

Today, religious tolerance is considered a social norm. However, it hasn’t always been this way, and some groups were certainly more persecuted than others. In the early 1960s people of America connected with their religious roots, exercising a freedom that was under threat by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Two decades later in the mid-eighties, certain groups, conservative followers of Reagan and the moral majority in particular, rushed forth the ideas of a wholesome modest family, contrasting from the changing social climate. More recently in the 2000’s people have begun to relinquish and get away from their religious roots, which some could attribute to the increasingly immoral behavior. It seems the pattern history takes with religion

America is constantly evolving and redefining itself. Those who oppose a separation between church and state claim that because this country was founded on religious principles, our government should continue to base its laws on a Judeo-Christian God. An article entitled, “Standing up for Church-State Separation in Difficult Times,” states that, “Religious Right groups are crowing and insisting that they have some sort of mandated authority to make their repressive agenda the law of the land,” however, we no longer live in the 1700’s (13). Times are changing and America is no longer predominantly white, Christians. Furthermore, some believe that public

Everyday our minds are being filled with conflicting ideas. A wall is being built between religion and reason. This is the truth about the separation of church and state. Religion is a big aspect of life in the U.S., recent statistics show that on average 72% of adults in the U.S. profess a belief in God. The conflict between reason and right goes hand in hand in this country. Everyday those who live life with religion are being tested by people that challenge their beliefs, infringe on their personal freedom, and try to force their own beliefs into the minds of others.

Religion is more than a set of beliefs and practices one follows. One’s own religious beliefs shape the values they uphold in their daily lives and how they interact within a community, most especially the country they live in. Throughout history, religion has been a driving force for cultural change, social development, and international policy. Because religion is a guide one abides by when conflicted with decisions of moral standing, political policy of a country and an individual’s religion often go hand in hand. Most countries in the world have a dominant religion and beliefs understood by all. The Bible is arguably the most popular and well known sacred text in the world. Not only have scholars and historians interpreted the bible in

For social scientists, it will be interesting to study and analyze how organized religions will attempt to gain back their power to influence and to stay relevant in the political process as well as staying in individuals’ routines. The change in perception of the public on the perceived relationship between the church and state can cause major change in how government officials are elected and whether these official will continue to turn to their religious beliefs when deciding policy. Again, France is an example of how religion has been taken out the political process which discourages officials from referring or mentioning their faith in public discourses and speeches. The change in representation in government can be affected by secularism especially in the United States where a large number of officials claim taking part in a certain religion. In Congress, about 90% of members claim to be Christian and only 1 member claims to be unaffiliated with any religion. With an incoming generation that is not religious-oriented or wishes not to have religion in government, it can transform the scale the extent in which religion and culture can have on social and political progress. Communities could no longer rely on religious beliefs or social norms on their own modifying individual behavior and political choices in order to be

“American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us,” by Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell, and “America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity,” by Robert Wuthnow, give different thoughts to religion and politics in the United States. Putnam and Campbell utilize the concepts of shocks and aftershocks to highlight religious changes in the United States. On the other hand, Wuthnow uses observations to focus on the encounters of religious diversity in the United States. Wuthnow compares American Christianity with other popular religions in America and how Christianity has affected the perception of religion. Putnam and Campbell’s “American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us” is a more persuasive assessment of American religion and politics.

America wastes a lot of time trying to create a democracy completely absent of the moral expectations that our ancestors have put into place. Our founding fathers’ dream of establishing a country in which all people would be accepted has begun to fall. In our attempt to rid our country of a democracy contaminated with any belief in a supreme power, we have rid ourselves of many of our values and morals. Perhaps it is impossible for religion to dominate our political country, but we have misinterpreted the original intent of “separation of church and state” and taken this concept too far.