Religion in Public Life: Then and Now
Description
A common myth is that this country was founded on religious freedom. A parallel misunderstanding is that the government of this country was based on fixed religious principles. This program explores the attitudes and practices toward religion in government in the colonies prior to the framing of the Bill of Rights and proceeds to track developments to the modern era. That learning is then applied to modern problems of church/state relations using current examples of conflict.Essay
The mixture of religion and politics has always been volatile. It is not for nothing that the cliché warns about discussion of politics and religion. The last three decades have seen a vigorous campaign to bring faith–based values to the forefront in public life and public policy. In the process, traditional notions of the separation of church and state are being questioned in almost every venue from the pulpit to the United States Supreme Court.The public conversation is marked by extravagant claims regarding the historical and constitutional basis for religious freedom. Those favoring greater involvement of religion in government as well as government in religion see the founders of the country and the framers of the Constitution as Christian apostles creating a nation "under God." Those seeking strict separation of church and state see those same founders and framers as purely secular political activists who wrote religion out of public life. The historical record supports neither of those positions. To the extent that an accurate understanding of the historical record furthers resolution of the conflicts, the program hopes to contribute to conciliation of the parties.
The presentation begins by reviewing facts which describe the modern conflicts in the most neutral manner possible, including the claims described above. It then moves to a recitation of selected historical events from the early colonial period through the pre–constitutional era (the early 1780's). That history in the colonies provides the background for James Madison's "Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments" and for Jefferson's Religious Freedom Act in Virginia, both of which were influential in the development of the religious freedom clauses in the Bill of Rights.
The Constitution speaks to religion in limited but significant terms by baring religious tests for office holders in the United States, a matter hotly debated in some of the ratifying conventions. The framing of the religious clauses of the Bill of Rights sheds further light on the mind set of the era regarding religion. The federal story has a large time gap with only one significant development until 1947 while the state story is one of elimination of religious standards for public life. It is significant that the state story is one of strong regional differences, producing areas labeled as a "Bible Belt." Finally, the modern era is marked by tension over the role of religion in the public schools and eventually on the public property.
After a brief description of the approaches used by the US Supreme Court in responding to constitutional issues put before it, we turn to the audience for their assessment. Contemporary problems are offered for resolution. Should prayer be permitted at public school graduations? Should the town meeting open with a prayer? Should the school display a copy of the Ten (Eleven) Commandments? And so on. The point is not to resolve these problems but rather to establish that a principled discussion can be conducted in the effort to reach a resolution.
