Deliver Us From Evil

“[The Constitution was not to grant] a shadow of right in the general government to intermeddle with religion.” James Madison

Separation of church and state. It’s one of those hot button phrases in contemporary American culture. Separation of church and state has come to blows lately with American institutions from the Pledge of Allegiance to Christmas decorations. At this time of year when we honor founding fathers and presidents past, let’s take a look back at the First Amendment that’s resulted in “holiday trees” today.

A House Divided Will Fall

In the grand scheme of things America is quite odd. From the Romans to the British, Christianity has been dangerously interwoven with governing authorities. While such a position does enjoy its privileges, when a government fails, too often the church fails with it, as in countries like France and Russia.

When Alexis de Tocqueville took his famous tour of the United States in the 19th century, he said, “the main reason for the quiet sway of religion over their country was the complete separation of church and state.”

If you’ve taken a look at Europe lately, there’s not much faith left in what was once a hotbed of Christian activity. It’s been observed that more Muslims than Christians go to services on any given weekend in Europe. It’s tragic. From the Great Schism to the French Revolution to the World Wars, politically intertwined churches have led to distrust, scorn and ultimate abandonment of European churches.

Original Intent

Consider the religious and political atmosphere of the founding fathers. Their motherland and model, England, was a world superpower with its own national Church of England. With her ties to the only acceptable church, England was not kind to religious dissenters. American immigrants were made up of many persecuted Christians from sects like the Puritans and Quakers. Early colonial America was a stew of castaway Christians seeking freedom.

In this environment not only was a national church looked upon with contempt and suspicion, but the colonial Christian groups found company in their misfit faiths. To form a national religion would have returned many colonists to British-style oppression from which they fled.

The founding fathers knew the danger of a state-controlled church. James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, called for the First Amendment to protect the church from the state, not the other way around.

Defending the First Amendment, Madison stated that it was meant solely to keep Congress from passing “laws of such a nature as might infringe the rights of conscience, and establish a national religion.” In fact, he had to persuade many framers that the provision wouldn’t have a negative effect and abolish religion.

In this late 18th-century context, the idea that the state was in danger from the church was rather unthinkable. Though there were many different brands of faithful Christianity practiced in America, the culture was thoroughly religious. Education, parenting and community affairs were centered around the church, not the government. Government was to ensure that, no matter what you practiced, in America you could worship freely.

Today we are left to haggle issues like prayer in schools and public display of religious symbols. While the issue of separation of church and state has seemed to make a big flip-flop, we should at least be grateful for one thing. Due to this separation, we did not have the church fall with the dissolution of the Federalist Party or the rise and fall of the Confederacy or the death of the pure laissez faire economy. The church in America continues on, despite the course of America itself.