Separation of Church and State | Protecting the Church from the State, not the State from the Church

Some people interpret the separation of church and state as a means to protect the government from religious individuals and ideas. Whether driven by ignorance or complicity, this interpretation is naïve at best, and sinister at worst.

The First Amendment to the Constitution of The United States reads:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The government shouldn’t force the people to believe anything or punish them for believing what they do. It is the very reason early settlers came to America. King James I was the reigning monarch of England during the primary Separatist movement and the 1620 Mayflower voyage. He played a direct role in driving them out of the country through systematic persecution and strict religious enforcement. At the 1604 Hampton Court Conference, James famously declared, "I will make them conform themselves, or I will harry them out of the land." He viewed any religious dissent as direct political treason because English monarchs served as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. 

So, in a sense, we do want a separation between the state and the church. But does that mean Christians shouldn’t be involved in government and culture, and in civic initiatives? No. It is a ridiculous notion to think so. Government is run by people. And, in America, that’s everyone - believers and non-believers alike. And to think that people of faith should not be among them is ridiculous. 

The Separation of Church and State is not in the Constitution

It is a common misunderstanding that the separation between Church and State is written into the founding documents. It is not. It’s not found anywhere in local or state law, the Declaration of Independence or the United States Constitution.

The phrase was first popularized from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson in 1801 to a letter mailed to him by a group of Baptists in Danbury, Connecticut who were concerned about government powers being used against them. You can read the full transcript of both letters here - THOMAS JEFFERSON’S LETTER TO THE DANBURY BAPTISTS. But here is an excerpt of Jefferson’s letter referencing the phrase:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.

The Constitution protects the Church from the State, not the State from the Church

The separation of Church and State is not meant to protect the State from the Church, but the Church from the State. Jefferson’s letter is clear that his concern was not that religious people would affect the Government by voting or participating in government. Rather, it was to ensure the Government couldn’t interfere with the way people lived and practiced their faith. The Government influencing the way people practice their faith is a problem, while religious people influencing the democratic process is the freedom and strength of democracy. 

In America all ideas are welcome

Whether anyone is inspired by Jesus, Oprah, Freud or the Wizard of Oz, or believes in God, aliens, evolution or Creation, the freedom to engage in the political process is the same for everyone. Every group, organization and person is equally welcome in the arena. It is the very definition of the democratic process.

The idea that religious people are especially dangerous and should not be involved in civic affairs is not in the Constitution. It is part of the agenda of people who don’t honor God and want him out of culture. The Constitution was not written to make people afraid to talk about cultural issues or engage in public debate. It was written to make sure no one was.