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I find it fascinating that in our modern technological age, we as Americans can become so divisive and hostile regarding the separation of church and state issue.
The view that the state should be thoroughly secular and not
influenced by religious values, especially Christianity — was completely
foreign to the first 150 years of American political thought. Clearly,
the Founding Fathers did not try to expunge every vestige of the
Christian religion, thought, and values from all facets of public life.
When you study the documents of the Revolutionary period, a
very distinctive picture of what the Founding Fathers believed comes
into view. The Founders clearly believed that moral leadership, and a
virtuous electorate, were essential for the experiment of freedom to
succeed. Because of this, they created a political climate that
encouraged religious faith and accommodated religion rather than
hostility to it.
Consequently, Protestant Christianity was the prevailing
religious view for the first 150 years of our nation’s history. However,
to be accurate and balanced, it must be stated that the Founding
Fathers sought to set up a just society, not a Christian theocracy. For
that reason, they specifically prohibited the establishment of
Christianity — or any other faith — as the religion of our nation. At
the same time, the First Amendment was drafted to ensure the liberty
needed for religious freedom to have an ongoing and profound influence
in American society separate from Government.
Most but not all of our Founding Fathers were influenced by
the popularity of Newtonian physics and deism. The deist of their day
did not believe in a personal god, which directly influenced our
national destiny. Many of our Founding Fathers viewed Christianity as
practicing and living within superstitious beliefs.
However, it is a historical fact that the Founding Fathers
were supportive of religion and its public practice and expression. It
wasn’t until 1947 that the United States Supreme Court first used the
concept of “separation” to isolate government from religion.
In Everson v. Board of Education, the court lifted a phrase
from Thomas Jefferson's letter to a Baptist church in Danbury,
Connecticut. In the words of Jefferson, the clause against the
establishment of religion by law was intended to erect “a wall of
separation between church and state.”
In this ruling, the Supreme Court quoted Jefferson’s separation language
as a normative guideline for understanding the First Amendment. This is
especially remarkable when one realizes that Jefferson wasn’t even a
member of the Constitutional Convention, and the phrase “separation of
church and state” does not appear anywhere in the Constitution or the
Bill of Rights.
A careful reading of Jefferson’s letter, his other writings,
and the First Amendment makes it clear that the government is restricted
from intruding into any religious organization, and not people who are
being restricted from having religious views within government. However,
they cannot use their office to impose their religious views or in
implementing Government policy.
Freedom of religion is the goal, and the non-establishment
clause is the means. The only way to have true freedom of religion is to
keep government out of religion’s affairs. This view defines religious
freedom in terms of government neutrality toward religion in which no
religion is favored over any other, and neither religion nor secularism
is favored over each other.
The First Amendment was rewritten 12 times to make clear its
intent. The concept set forth in the Bill of Rights is
“non-establishment” of religion, not the total isolation in the belief
in God in government.
For nearly two centuries, state and federal governments have
had a benevolent attitude toward religion in general, and Christianity
in particular.
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787, passed by the very same
Congress which enacted the First Amendment, stated the following in
Article III:
“Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good
government and happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education
shall forever be encouraged.”
Notice that religion and morality were equal with knowledge
as proper subjects of public education. I am a firm believer that Thomas
Jefferson would have approved of comparative religion courses in the
public school system. Comparative Religion courses can give us a deeper
understanding of how humanity has searched for meaning and found purpose
in life through the power of myth. Jefferson’s concept of Christianity
was more philosophical than what Christian fundamentalists believe
today.
Thomas Jefferson would not, however, approve of public
schools teaching Christianity as the inspired word and Religion that we
as Americans must follow to be truly American. That is what today’s
Christian Fundamentalist would have us believe. Jefferson, like most of
the Founding Fathers, believed Christianity and the gospels can be used
as a moral guide, but he did not believe in divine revelations. That was
one of the reasons Jefferson wrote the Jeffersonian bible; he hoped it
would be utilized as a moral compass. He also believed that nature and
reason hold the key to unraveling the mysteries of our universe.
A holistic Education for Jefferson was not filling the mind
with mundane facts but rather opening the mind to new ideas. Education
is also the means to developing a virtuous and moral electorate to guide
our nation forward.
I personally do not believe entirely in the Deist view of
reality, nor do I believe in Christian Fundamentalism. But it is a fact
that cannot be denied that many of our Founding Fathers supported
religious expression in society separate from Government interference.
Most of our Founding Fathers would have also considered themselves
deists, and they believed it best to live moral lives by example, free
from religious influence, bigotry, and bias.
Always with love,
Thomas F O'Neill
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