The issue in America
There is a strong relationship between the state and the church based on the fact that the church and believers form a significant part of American society. Separating the church and the state is both a political and a doctrine of the American government law requiring the religious institutions to be disconnected from the government and operate independently It revolves around the principles of government secularity (it is important here to spot the difference between the government and the society) and the principle of freedom of exercises concerned with religion.
Historical background
From ancient times, the uppermost political leaders in America also were highly connected to religious leadership and sometimes we’re given the highest responsibilities, and sometimes being considered divine. Religious leaders were appointed by the political leader. This is greatly associated with the republican government. This issue can be traced back to a letter that was written in 1802 to the Danbury Baptists by Thomas Jefferson. In this letter, he said if the constitution was going to be amended to include this proposal, that would be like creating a wall of separation between the church and the state. But earlier Martin Luther had articulated the doctrine of two kingdoms (religious and political) and this was a markable beginning of today’s conception of the state-church separation (Wood 46).
The issue and the Constitution
The American constitution lacks any phrase that refers to the separation issue. Jefferson in 1802 had suggested that the Free Exercise clause and the establishment clause in the first constitutional amendment. This clause has been, even today, quoted in a number of opinions of the US supreme court. This phase has also been viewed as a metaphor- in that it requires the church to keep off the business of the state and also requires the state to keep off the business of the church. Due to the frequent use of this phase, many Americans have been led to thinking that the phrase has been included in the constitution (Lee 239).
The metaphorical phrase of the separating wall in the above-mentioned Jefferson’s letter was used to reassure the people that the erection of the separating wall was aimed at protecting them. Jefferson was addressing the Danbury, Connecticut Baptists who were in fear over the intention of the separation of the church and the state. The American Congress has never be mandated to constitute any law that may concern the establishment of any religion or to establish any statute that may prohibit the free exercise of one’s religious faith. The clause addressing the free exercise and that addressing the establishment both put restrictions on the government with respect to the manner of setting up new laws. The only religious clause appearing in the constitution is that there is no single denomination that can be made to be the state religion. In other words, the state cannot determine what the society’s religion can be.
The freedom of worship is unto every citizen of America. It is also important to note that the current use of the metaphor implies the strict stand of the government in ensuring that the church keeps off the government’s business. The alternative meaning of the metaphor cannot be found in the media, in the law, or cannot find its place in the public debate. It is also yet to be made an agenda of the judiciary. This way, the phase of the church is separated from the state is an icon for the elimination of anything related to the religion of American heritage and the Christianity theism from being used in public places (Fenton 647).
How the early Constitution Framers Viewed the separation issue
The act of trying to separate the church from the state and the state from the church is a real metaphor. This metaphor has blurred the distinguishing line between a denominational religion and a doctrinal religion. This has led to confusion of the doctrinal religion for organized denominational religion that has the potential to merge with the government in the rule. There is so much documentation of the existence of a doctrinal religion The issue has been thoroughly studied by the supreme court. In 1892, the supreme court produced what was termed the Trinity Decision. In that decision, it was declared that America was a Christian nation (Wood 53).
John Quincy’s opinion was that America was to become revolutionalized if it took the step of setting a strong bond in terms of working together of the Christian Church and the civil government. The founders of the trinity were of course of the Christian faith mainly. It is estimated that about 90 – 95 percent of the founders were already practicing Christians This fact together with other evidence in this paper can lead to an informed conclusion that the issue that motivated these framers of the constitution to make the establishment clause to be part of the constitution was not because of the fear of the Christian doctrinal religion. Christian Theism was considered the state’s doctrinal religion. This doctrine of religion was not meant to be something to fear but instead, it was supposed to be a key determinant of the success or failure of the government. As a result, the constitution framers feared a denominational religion of the American state but were in full support of a national doctrinal religion for America (Thomas 151).
There is a lot of evidence that Christian Theism was the doctrinal religion for the American nation. First, in the US capital house, there are writings that depict the trust the house members have in God. This is an indication of the Christian stance of the American political opinion and law since the house speaker is the one who directs the motions and bills that lead to the establishment of new laws. Although the law forbids the senate from establishing new clauses or laws, these words depict the strong Christian stance in the house proceedings. Second, the old American houses have images of the biblical Moses with his templates of the law. This is directly picked from the Bible and it signifies that the court rulings are based on what is fair from the eyes of the Supreme Almighty God. The name of God is mentioned on foundation stones of buildings and monuments throughout Washington DC city. This city is one of the key administrative cities of America and the use of the name of God in these stones can be an indication that the administration is not in conflict with anything religious.
In America, the festive celebrations of Christmas day have been carried out to commemorate the birth of the Biblical Savior Jesus Christ Moreover, the court oaths before a case is heard have always invoked God since the beginning. People under prosecution have to vow by the Bible in the courtroom. The bible writings have been quoted again and again by the founding fathers of America, according to several historical publications. It is also important to point out that, the analysis of all the speeches that have ever been read by all the presidents of America during inauguration have mentioned the name of God. Their swearing also involved the quotation of the words ‘So God help me’ and the actual swearing was by the oath of the Bible. In those inauguration ceremonies also, Christian prayer was said. Everybody in America has once or many times sung the national anthem which clearly mentions the name of God. This anthem recognizes the supremacy of God’s power over the nation. The American liberty bell has engravings that are directly quoted from the Christian Bible. Furthermore, the original constitutions of the 50 united states recognize the name of God. The certificate for the nation’s birth has mention the name of God up to four times and in the past, the bible has been used as a school textbook and Christian religion has been taught in American schools for a very long time (Cookson 143). In summary, the separation of the state and the church is simply a metaphor since none can do perfectly without the other and the fact that the state and the church have a common audience who are basically the American society.
Conclusion
The separation of the church from the state and vice versa is a metaphor whose use is a direct opposite of what was intended as justified by American historical facts discussed above. The restrictions made in the constitution were targeted at ensuring no denominational religion could be turned into the religion of the state.
Works cited
Cookson, Catharine. The Clause: Free Exercise & Courts. New York. MacMillan:2001.
Fenton, Tobias. Role of Legislative Purpose in Establishment Clause Cases. Law Journal Vol. 83 (2004): 647.
Lee, Francis G. Church-State Relations. Harvard. HUP: 2002.
Thomas, Berg. “Religious Schools.” New Constitutional Questions Vol.72 (2003): 151.
Wood, James E. “The Separation of Church and State Defended.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies Vol. 35 (1998): 42-58.