What Role Does Religion Play In Government

Religion is an essential and complex facet of the American psyche. The “Americanisation” of religion - a by-product of the first amendment is demonstrative of the role it plays in national identification. Transcendentalism, cults and Christian Zionism have all been a result of the “Americanisation” of faith. Neither the first or fourteenth amendment were in place at the time of independence and as such their evolution is inevitable. The first and fourteenth amendments essentially protect the establishment of any religion as well as protecting the freedom to exercise this religion, whilst creating a distinctly separate Church and State. Laws regarding religions are difficult to pass as courts are expected to behave with “benevolent neutrality” towards any cases regarding religion.

In Americas history, religion has played a major role in society. In Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural, Lincoln uses religion in an effort to reunite the North and South and to justify slavery and its end. Likewise, in the Declaration of Independence, religion is used to unite the colonies and justify the Declaration to Britain and the American people. The religious beliefs of early America are not respected and are used as common ground to unite the people and legitimize actions.

Since before the United States was founded, the ideals of Christianity have been integrated into the government in some way, shape, or form. In the early days of the Colonies, Christianity was the centerfold for all government affairs; however, after the constitution was ratified and deemed effective in the United States, the First Amendment was born. The first amendment states that, “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 the Government for a redress of grievances” (source). In the early life of the United States, the

The freedom of religion is important to us because it lets us learn our religion freely so we don't have to worry about the country saying. “We are going to only have the religion of the church of England.” or something like that. “ In some instances, they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the Civil authority; in many instances, they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people.”(THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE: A CHECK ON RELIGIOUS TYRANNY) This talks about how different religions were getting spiritual tyranny. The people didn't have liberties and were forced to follow one religion or they would’ve been criticised. “For him, America was not a “Christian nation,” but rather should recognize the equality of all believers, whether “Jews, Turks, Pagans [or] Christians.” “Government should protect every man in thinking and speak freely, and see that one does not abuse another.” He proposed an amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution in 1794 because of the “evils . . .

The freedom of religion has been essential since the day colonists began to flee from Great Britain to America. America was, and is, a place they could come and be free of persecution for what they believe. Unfortunately, over the course of history,

Religion has been a large part of this country, starting with the very first people to arrive in America, the Pilgrims. Breaking away from the Church of England, the Pilgrims settled in what is now known as Massachusetts in 1620, in order to express religious freedom. They wanted to practice Christian beliefs similar to ones practiced by earlier Christians. Based on the views of the founding people of America, many would claim this as support that America was founded as a Christian nation. Fast forward to the late 1700’s, where both the Declaration of Independence and The United States Constitution had been written. These documents both showed signs of a Christian foundation with multiple references to God. As stated in the Declaration, “[They] hold

It is obvious that when the Founding Fathers were setting up the structure of American Government, they had God in the midst of their plans. Because there is no mention of the “separation of church and state” in any documents, it is clear that the Founding Fathers had no intention of the separation. Being men of faith and leaders of the country, they saw the relation between church and state as inseparable. They set up the government based on their faith and belief in God. Therefore, when God is taken out of the government, there is a missing link in its chain. Church and government are supposed to be directly linked to each other. It is the Christian’s duty to make sure that the responsibility of our government is handled well. This was illustrated well with the Biblical example of the parable of the talents.

Religious liberty is just important today as it was back in 1787 when the Founding Fathers believed so, religious liberty helps the country both socially and politically. God played a significant role in the lives of Americans.“For most Americans, the blessings of God have been the basis of our liberty, prosperity, and survival as a unique country,” (Gingrich 9). God has given grace and hope to Americans when they are going through a difficult time whether it be conflict within the country or war. The Founding

The founding of the New World gave the religiously oppressed people hope to exercise their religious dreams. The non-stop conflicts in Europe between the Church and Protestants led many people to flee from their home countries. Among the first settlers on the New World were the Protestants which were chased by the government in their countries. In the 18th century the religious conflicts led the founders to make the First Amendment in the American Constitution. The Amendment states that the U.S. government wouldn’t have a state-supported church as Britain did. (Wills 58) Today even though religious oppression seems like an ancient problem, it still exists. The U.S. country has

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

“The laws of Nature are the laws of God, whose authority can be superseded by no power on earth”-George Mason 1772(Founding Fathers 2). The presence of God is in every part of America. The Christian religion was brought to American shores by nearly all who immigrated to the United States. The American nation was built on the principles of “one nation under God” and now people want to erase Him from everything. ‘I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all’. By stating allegiance to the flag allegiance is given to country; a country founded on Christian principles and a belief in God. The words “one nation under God”

The United States of America has the most diverse religious population in the world. In places like Iraq, Syria, Israel, Afghanistan, Yemen, and other countries too numerous to mention, countless lives are lost over religious differences. In America, a Protestant can live happily next door to a Jew, who might live across the street from a Muslim, or a Catholic, or a Sikh, or even a Humanist! This is in no small way attributed to the fact that the US Constitution’s First Amendment includes what is known as the establishment clause, which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” effectively separating affairs of religious institutions from secular,

America was born out of revolution, a revolution to rid the states of an overpowering sovereign from a country where they had no representation. Therefore when writing the constitution the Founding Fathers were careful to avoid a strong centralised monarchical state that they felt would restrict the rights of the people of the United States to practice their religion and cultures freely. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" [1] This clearly states that there shall be no religious persecution, or any type of institution set up to restrict religion in the United States. America was and is supposed to be a society where everyone is equal no matter what his or her religion on social status

An advertisement produced by Britain’s main church, showing Christians in public and private prayer, was designed to promote a moment of contemplation among moviegoers as they would sit down to watch a movie. Although the ad had good intentions, it sparked a public dispute, which has not settled, over the role of religion in Britain’s highly secular population.

In today’s world, religion plays a profound part in many people’s lives and they find it important to firmly follow the guiding principles of a religion. Religion has been