The Separation of Church and State in America Should NOT Be Absolute

The United States is considered a religiously diverse nation. The country’s population has a vast number of religious affiliations; from Islam to Buddhism. However, this does not counter the fact that the overwhelming religious majority, Christianity, is the the prime influencer of the headstrong nation.

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.

In “The Idea of Public Reason Revisited (1997)” Rawles’ focuses on the concept of public reason, exploring in this particular text how it can fit in the context of our political society full of different overlapping religions, as well as its place in influencing the family when the family is considered as a part of society as a whole. Contentious issues like same-sex marriage and abortion help demonstrate clearly the idea of public reason and how it is hard to walk the fine line between being a member of a faith and a citizen of a society.

The functionality of America would not be as novel or ingenious without religion, a monumental influence in the building of the United States. If we trace back hundreds of years to colonial times, religion acted as the absolute driving force that convinced colonists that America was the new haven they had been looking for. It also contributed long lasting moral, social, and political impacts seen in countless movements reflecting the christian ideals of truth, life without sin, and altruism, or good works. Lastly, religious liberty is a major campaign so trite that one will find religious tolerance laws in every state as well as various religious tolerance groups with ease. Patently, the rudiments of religion are responsible for shaping

Religion, whether we realize it or not, is a major element of American society (and also worldwide history). For many, religion is a significant part of their cultural identity. Religion plays a part in all levels of politics and is often an aspect of community events and organizations. Everyday, we all interact with people who have different religious backgrounds and personal beliefs. Children born into religious families are very connected with their religions from birth and this affects the way they will see the world for the rest of their lives. Even those who later explore other faiths or convert to other religious ideas will be affected in

The world is composed of a variety and number of religious beliefs and organizations. Religion is not necessary an explanation of creation, nor is it a set of rules or morals that one follows; instead, it is simply just a way to believe in something or someone. Ever since the beginning of time, religion has had an impact on government, literature, history, and much more. Many say that America originated as an enlightened or spiritually aware country. Despite the assumption of America being an “enlightened” nation founded on the separation of church and state, religion is so blatantly intertwined with American literature and history because it simply made up a huge part of its backstory.

Others believe that religion should be the backbone of the morals and ethics elected individuals should use. Carson believes that, specifically for the office of president, religion should play a role in not only decision-making, but also qualification of office. The many possible outlooks create a controversy and a major ethical dilemma over whether or not religion should play a role in the position of public office. There are many different religions that often have different goals for life, and different views over what is right. Another area of controversy is found in the fact that natural rights, and also the constitution describe how religion should not matter, yet when faced with certain problems religion can often lead one to make decisions that are not best for the majority. This argument evolves from arguing over, not only what is best for most, but what is ethically

The separation of church and state has been a long debated topic in the history of America. Although founded upon Christian ideals, the framers of the Constitution explicitly outlined the government to function secularly, in what is commonly referred to as the “Establishment Clause”. When interpreting the Constitution in regards to religion, there are two primary philosophies. The first philosophy this paper will explore will be referred to as Positive Toleration. In general, the idea of positive toleration creates an environment that is encouraging of all religions. The second philosophy, which will be referred to as the “Wall of Separation,” encourages government freedom from religion. Although historically these two philosophies have

Religion plays a major role in American society today. The stance that people take on their religion can affect the social and political choices that they make. Having a loving God view and relationship with him also takes place in these decisions being made. Researchers Unnever, Bartkowski and Cullen explore in their article, “God Imagery and Opposition to Abortion and Capital Punishment: A Partial Test of Religious Support for the Consistent Life Ethic”, as to whether having a close relationship with God will allow people to oppose both capital punishment and abortion, the consistent life ethic.

"Politics makes strange bedfellows",1 Never have there been two more inappropriate, yet understandable bedfellows than religion and politics. Both of these great forces in our lives, at least on the surface, claim to be about us or for us, and certainly necessary for a better life for all.  Genuinely though, both of these institutions have become to be about power and control: for these reasons alone they try and lie together, but for these same reasons as well as for our true betterment the American populace is far better off when they are separated. The wise men who laid the foundation of this nation, knew this; they knew the individual freedoms they sought for

France is known to be home to the city of love, the Eiffel tower, the perfect holiday destination, paradoxically, the people are on the verge of war, living in neighbourhoods peppered with conflict, laced with cultural and religious intolerance and garnished with aggression. The social situation within France regarding the relationship of church and state has become increasingly strained, the accumulation of terrorist attacks and marginalisation of minority groups is only intensifying rising tensions. Although France is a secular nation where constitutionally there is a declared separation of religion and state, Muslims as a minority group experience repression and cannot freely express or practice their religious beliefs. The present

We in America have the right to be free, so why not listen to the words of Thomas Jefferson and build a “wall of separation between church and state?”  The wall of separation was Jefferson’s interpretation of the first amendment; however, the idea was actually founder of Rhode Island Roger Williams’.  Jefferson’s belief was that religion was a personal relationship strictly between a man and his God and the government should not be allowed to restrict anyone from practicing their religion. With so many different religions in the United States, church and state must be separated to a certain extent because a close relationship between church and state puts constraints on

In 1791, ten amendments were made to the U.S. constitution: The Bill of Rights. The first of these rights given to the citizens of America is the right to freedom of religion and freedom of the press. Countless court cases have brought the issue of the separation of church and state to light. Legal battles and administrative actions in the government have led to conversations about how much religion should be involved in schools and what power the state has over religion.

What is Religion? Religion has many meanings; a way of life, belief, and practices. In America people have different views on religion; it was indicated in the constitution. What is the constitution? The constitution is set of laws approved by the state. Religion and constitution are separate. As stated in the constitution of the United State of America, the first amendment, “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” In other words the constitution and religion are not connected. The founder fathers meant when talking about “freedom of Religion,” is that the state and church are separate; because people saw the church as mass control, people were also affected by the English’s monarchies and lastly the Americans

Everyone has morals and beliefs that set a baseline for what they value. Values vary between individuals, but for many, religion is the root from where these values stem. While it is good to morally question, today personal religious affiliation is increasing in collective matters and actions, expressed in politics, protests, and biased beliefs. It is important to note that religion and politics are two different domains that should not intermingle. Religion is a personal ideology while politics embodies a rational, collective process. Good politics are policy oriented and not concerned with external factors related to politicians and their personal lives. Contemporary politics do not hold the same political legitimacy that it intended to have at the founding, and increasing religious activism in the political process is a large contributor to the corresponding decline. Policy and religion have different ends. The former is geared towards justice and order, while the latter towards “a purpose beyond all human purposes”. These domains hold different objectives and therefore have no reason to be intertwined, for “the cornerstone on which the separation of church and state rests . . . is the belief that religion cannot be involved with politics or politics with a particular religion without threatening their mutual destruction” (Thompson 14). America is a nation that takes pride in its exceptionalism, for the statutes of the