The separation from, and freedom of religion was established through several official government documents including the Bill of Rights, Treaty of Tripoli and several Supreme Court and other judicial rulings. Many of the founding fathers offered intellectual perspectives on why secularity in government is necessary in a free nation. James Madison, fourth president of the United States of America, once said, “The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries.”
As early as the mid-17th century colonists petitioned for freedom of religious choice. The 1657 Flushing Remonstrance, a petition to the governor of New Netherlands who had banned all religions but one, stated "Wee desire therefore in this case not to judge least we be judged, neither to condemn least we be condemned, but rather let every man stand or fall to his own Master.” The document is celebrated as one of the earliest articulations of one of the most basic rights of freedom and was even commemorated on a U.S. stamp in 1957.
What comes to mind when thinking over the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America? About 61 percent of Americans said it is about freedom of speech, while only 23 percent also mentioned it protects the freedom of religion. This is uncanny considering the very first words of it are “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...” This was the first of 10 amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, which was ratified in 1789 and became law.
Those who are somewhat against complete separation of church and state may argue that America is a Christian nation, founded on its basic principles and ideas. In Article 11 of the 1797 Treaty of Tripoli, American diplomat Joel Barlow wrote, “As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion…” John Adams, second U. S. president, signed the treaty which received unanimous ratification from the U. S. Senate. Why would so many of the founding fathers agree with this notion? Many of these prominent figures, including Thomas Paine and well-known favorite – Benjamin Franklin, were in reality deists. They may have associated with Christian philosophies, but many rejected orthodox ideologies and organized sects thereof.
Many high-profile court cases have battled over religious rights and infringement. Supreme Court case Watson V. Jones 80 U. S. 679 in 1872 ruled among other things that “The law knows no heresy, and is committed to the support of no dogma, the establishment of no sect.” Cases like this only further the strong suggestion that spirituality and government do not mix.
Sure, all these documents imply that there should be a separation, but where did the actual expression “separation of church and state” come from? Founder of the Rhode Island colony and Baptist theologian Roger Williams wrote of a "hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world" in his book “The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution.” Third president to the United States of America Thomas Jefferson is credited for making a simplified version of the phrase famous in his letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802.
There is so much more evidence out there that shows this nation is meant to be utterly secular, yet we still find violations of that idea on monstrous scales. Separation of church and state is something that has been established since the beginning of our nationhood, but is still not in full effect. Why exactly is this division so important? Think of how life would be if the reigning majority religion was not your own belief; how much would having to abide by laws of a differing creed affect your life? To keep these entities separate protects the most fundamental rights we as Americans have earned – the freedom to choose our own personal beliefs.
Sources and Bibliography
“Name That Freedom” by John Schwartz http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/weekinreview/24schwartz.html
“Remonstrance of the Inhabitants of the Town of Flushing to Governor Stuyvesant, December 27, 1657” http://www.nyym.org/flushing/remons.html
“Selected Quotes of James Madison” http://www.constitution.org/jm/jm_quotes.htm
“Bill of Rights” http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html
“Six Historic Americans: Benjamin Franklin” http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/john_remsburg/six_historic_americans/chapter_4.html
“THE BLOUDY TENENT OF PERSECUTION” by Roger Williams July 15, 1644 http://www.reformedreader.org/rbb/williams/btp.htm
“Jefferson's Letter to the Danbury Baptists” by Thomas Jefferson Jan. 1, 1802 http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html
“Group sues Texas governor for 'unconstitutional' participation in prayer rally” http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/13/group-sues-texas-governor-for-unconstitutional-participation-in-prayer-rally/
