A moment on the need to separate Church and State
We must ALL work together for a secular government.
The Separation of Church and State is not a uniquely American concept, and the United States doesn’t often honor it appropriately, yet this constitutional mandate is one of the only things keeping the nation afloat.
Without at least a nominal distinction between religion and government, the U.S. would have already descended into chaos and Christian authoritarianism long ago. For example, the secular nature of the U.S. Constitution is what prevented former President Trump, while in power, from banning all Muslims from travel to and from the country, which would have been a serious violation of liberties.
Now, before it is assumed that I’m only looking out for the rights of non-believers and believers in minority traditions, I should clarify: I think separating Church and State is good for everyone. I recently wrote in a post on Patreon that, when implemented properly, “church-state separation is able to achieve a type of dual protection that is rarely possible in any society.”
“Building walls in politics is rarely sound policy. But the wall of separation that was erected between Church and State is an exception, as it has lived up to its purpose of protecting government from religious intrusion, and vice versa.
The founders of the United States came from a unique past experience: religious persecution. They knew what it was like to have a government enforce a faith, and they didn't like it, so they wanted to make sure that couldn't happen in the U.S. Some of these men were highly religious, and others were deists without dogma, yet they all understood the mutually beneficial nature of a government that doesn't link up with doctrine.”
If you think about it, it just makes sense: a church or religious institution doesn’t want to have the heavy hand of government hovering above it, and the government loses credibility when it is influenced by a particular faith. It’s a win-win.
Despite this mutually beneficial connection to a secular government, I often see Christian fundamentalists in the U.S. spreading disdain for it. These are the types of people who will speak about the importance of adhering to the Constitution, yet fight tooth and nail against something found in the very first Amendment.
In reality, this should be an issue on which almost everyone can agree. The separation of Church and State could be the common ground on which we build our future as a nation. The Founding Fathers of the U.S. got a lot wrong, and their personal beliefs were all over the map, yet they too saw secularization as a shared value.
So, let’s take some inspiration from the people who created our Constitution, and strive to uphold the separation of Church and State at all costs. It could be the only thing keeping the U.S. from becoming the Christian version of Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan.
Yours in Reason,
David