The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment indicates that Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion. The Establishment Clause has been interpreted to mean that there is a separation of church and state. Establishment Clause (Separation of Church and State) – The Free Speech Center (mtsu.edu) Thomas Jefferson wrote that when the American public adopted the Establishment Clause, they built a separation of church and state. He believed that the state should not be involved in personal religious matters. While many in our society believe that there is a separation of church and state, in reality, this is an illusion. Historically, the church has played a major role in our politics.
In recent years religion has impacted our society. Due to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Health Care and Kennedy v. Bremerton School District religious liberties have increased.
Historically Christianity has influenced our politics. The Christian Quakers were early advocates of abolishing slavery. The Quakers opposed the slave trade and helped in abolishing slavery in Pennsylvania. Quakers and Slavery | TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections (brynmawr.edu) During the Civil War Abraham Lincoln shared the Quaker’s view that slavery is immoral.
Throughout the second half of the 20th century, Evangelist Billy Graham advised Presidents on various issues ranging from communism to inflation. Billy Graham on communism: “Satan’s religion” (1954) (alphahistory.com) Rev. Billy Graham had counseled US presidents since Truman – ABC News (go.com) Graham also opposed segregation. He and Martin Luther King Jr. were friends. He helped pay the late Civil Rights leader’s bail in 1960. What Is Billy Graham’s Friendship with Martin Luther King …… | News & Reporting | Christianity Today Graham as well as President Ronald Reagan inspired many Evangelical Christians. President Reagan was an advocate for free speech and the unborn. He also opposed homosexuality. The Christian Right grew, helping to elect George W. Bush. Bush, inspired by the Christian faith, prevented federal funding for research resulting in the destruction of human embryos. Fact Sheet: President Bush’s Stem Cell Research Policy (archives.gov)
Conservative Christians’ political influence reached its culmination with the election of Donald Trump. Trump promised to be an advocate for Christians by opposing abortion and supporting religious liberty. During Trump’s presidency, he helped appoint several conservative judges and justices. Supreme Court Justices Niel Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, inspired by their Christian faith, voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and voted to protect a coach’s right to pray on the field with his players after a game in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) | Wex Legal Dictionary / Encyclopedia | LII / Legal Information Institute (cornell.edu).
These Justices believed that life begins at conception thus they ruled to uphold Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban resulting in the overturning of Roe and permitting each state to determine whether abortion should be banned during the first trimester or not. Subsequently, Christian lawmakers from 13 states passed near-total bans on abortions. In Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, the court ruled that if a state subsidizes private education they are not allowed to disqualify private schools solely because they are religious. Similarly in Town of Greece v. Galloway, the court held that legislative prayer, while religious in nature, is permitted under the Establishment Clause. Religion Supreme Court Cases :: Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center
Overall politicians are making decisions based on their religious convictions. It is likely that religion will continue to play a major role in society. Church and state function side by side.
Works Cited
Ryman, Hana and Alcorn, Mark December 20, 2023 Establishment Clause (Separation of Church and State) Retrieved from Establishment Clause (Separation of Church and State) – The Free Speech Center (mtsu.edu)
December 22, 2023 TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections Retrieved from Quakers and Slavery | TriCollege Libraries Digital Collections (brynmawr.edu)
December 24, 2023 Billy Graham On Communism: “Satan’s Religion” 1954 Retrieved from Billy Graham on communism: “Satan’s religion” (1954) (alphahistory.com)
Shellnut, Kate December 25, 2023 What Is Billy Graham’s Friendship with Martin Luther King Jr. Worth? What Is Billy Graham’s Friendship with Martin Luther King …… | News & Reporting | Christianity Today
December 26, 2023 Fact Sheet: President Bush’s Stem Cell Research Policy Fact Sheet: President Bush’s Stem Cell Research Policy (archives.gov)
December 31, 2023 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) | Wex Legal Dictionary / Encyclopedia | LII / Legal Information Institute (cornell.edu)
December 24, 2023 Religion Supreme Court Cases Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) | Wex Legal Dictionary / Encyclopedia | LII / Legal Information Institute (cornell.edu)
