By Ferdinando J. Amartey ’25
Religion and politics are two pillars of American society that play a significant role in the daily lives of residents. Did you know that the constitution separates church and state, but not religion and politics? This means that politicians can involve religion in their line of work, which is actually a good thing for the people. Up until this term of government, the answer was that government employees can worship freely like the rest of us, just not in their official capacities (Wehle). Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the Supreme Court in 1990 that so long as a generally applicable law is not written in a way that targets specific religious practices, it is constitutional under the free exercise clause even if it affects religious practices (Wehle). Justice Scalia in 2007 heavily criticized the Court’s 1892 declaration in Holy Trinity v. The Historical Record of America that demonstrated that the United States “is a Christian nation.” The Court has since “wisely retreated from” that view, he retorted (Wehle).
Yes, there may be disadvantages to the separation of church and state, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Religion should not have a place in U.S politics because the United States prides itself in its diversity; involving religion in the works of politics would go against everything America stands for which is freedom and diversity which was a result of the first amendment. Why does the integration of church and state limit freedom and diversity? Both politics and religion play a huge and important role in our society and daily lives of citizens. But there is an importance in the separation of the two, and a reason Thomas Jefferson made that happen in the early days of the US. Religion is not meant to be used for political purposes.When religion is used for political purposes, it empties religion of its eternal meaning: religion becomes an empty concept, a way for people to gain power and suppress others (Lankford and Moore).
Religion being in politics would destroy the flexibility the law has especially when the United States is a historically Christian nation. The law is meant to adjust itself to fit a certain situation as the world evolves, but with religion in the mix, rules and regulations in the government’s way of governing the nation will heavily weigh on ethical and moral things. This is unfair for nonbelievers, people of other religions, and atheists, ridding the law of its fairness, diversity, and freedom.
There are many advantages to the separation of church and state. Below are the following: 1. “Separation of church and state frees us from the scourge of an officially established church,” 2. “Separation of church and state promotes pluralism,” 3. “Separation of church and state protects your right to believe as you choose,” 4. “Separation of church and state protects secular public education and crushes the lies of Christian nationalism” (Boston).
The reason the advantages of the separation of church and state outweighs the disadvantage is because the idea of separation of church and state ensures the government cannot exercise undue influence over Americans’ spiritual and religious lives. People are free to bring their religious convictions into the public square precisely because the government must treat all faiths equally. Politicians are free to express their religious beliefs, but not to sponsor legislation based solely on religious convictions (Callaway).
Statistics
There also is evidence from “Religion and Politics: Contention and Consensus” that next year’s presidential vote may again provoke deep religious divisions over social issues, especially homosexual marriage.
- “Fully 44% now believe that Islam is more likely than other religions ‘to encourage violence among its believers.”
- “9% believe that a significant portion of Muslims around the world hold anti-American views, up from 36% in March 2002.”
- “A declining number of Americans say their own religion has a lot in common with Islam 22% now, compared with 27% in 2002 and 31% shortly after the terrorist attacks in the fall of 2001.”
- “In fact, nearly twice as many say there has been too little reference to religious faith and prayer by politicians (41%) than say there has been too much (21%).”
- “Most (62%) say the president mentions his religious faith the right amount with only a minority saying he does this too much (14%) or too little (11%).”
- “Overall, six-in-ten Americans say the president relies a great deal (20%) or a fair amount (40%) on his own religious beliefs in making policy decisions. Roughly three-quarters of those who believe this say the influence of religion on the president’s policy decisions is appropriate. Just 22% of those who see Bush influenced a great deal by his religion say it is inappropriate.”
- “Nearly half (48%) of white evangelical Protestants and fully 60% of highly committed evangelicals say their religious beliefs frequently affect their electoral choices, compared with 10% of white mainline Protestants, 12% of white non-Hispanic Catholics, and 12% of Hispanic Catholics. Black Protestants fall between these extremes, with 31% saying their religion frequently affects how they vote.”
To draw the curtains on this issue, it is important that we keep the church separate from state or religion from politics so as to maintain the barrier between politicians and religion. The separation of church and states is what makes America one of the most diverse nations in the world. The separation makes it possible for people to have the freedom to choose any religion of their preference without any side effects such as oppression and isolation in society. This division makes it possible for people from all walks of life and beliefs to exist in peace and harmony without having to worship or practice their faith in secret. Taking away the separation means taking away what makes America great, which its freedom and diversity as stated in the first amendment. Some may refute and say that the majority of the people in the United States are religious and that the politicians are trying to involve religion in the governmental works of the nation to better represent the people. Here’s why that’s wrong: even though we live in a democratic nation where the majority wins, we should consider other people like atheists, people from religions other than Christianity, and others in between. The law and constitution is for everyone, not for a specific group of people and by involving religion it deprives others from their freedom. We should strive to be united as one.
Works Cited
Callaway, David. “Separation of Church and State: Definition, History and More.” Freedom Forum, https://www.freedomforum.org/separation-of-church-and-state/. Accessed 14 May 2024.
Lankford, James, and Russell Moore. “Why We Should Debate Religion and Politics More, Not Less.” Time, 16 January 2018, https://time.com/5103677/church-state-separation-religious-freedom/. Accessed 16 May 2024.
“Religion and Politics: Contention and Consensus.” Pew Research Center, 24 July 2003, https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2003/07/24/religion-and-politics-contention-and-consensus/. Accessed 14 May 2024.
Sze, Chael, et al. “#OPINION | The Modern Commandments: The state of separation of church and state.” Medium, 16 December 2022, https://medium.com/the-science-scholar/opinion-the-modern-commandments-the-state-of-separation-of-church-and-state-be8b80836e08. Accessed 14 May 2024.
Wehle, Kimberly. “Opinion | The Supreme Court Wants to End the Separation of Church and State.” Politico, 10 August 2022, https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/08/10/supreme-court-separation-of-church-and-state-00050571. Accessed 16 May 2024.
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