Church and State: Part One

Over the next week or so, I will be posting a series on a rather frustrating topic: the separation of church and state. The core issue being, not what religious right-wingers want, or what atheist left-wingers want, but what the constitution actually says. This is not an exhaustive historical case laid out here. This is just the presenting of some ideas and a particular point of view. I'd love to get into more detailed evidences, but these particular posts are not the venue for that.

A note to keep in mind for Christians on this topic. We are citizens of the kingdom of God. Our involvement in worldy matters are important. they affect our freedoms to worship God and serve Him by loving others. However, we should never let ourselves get so focused on political matters that we forget where our home is.

_________________________

A popular idea running around for a while now has been that there is a "wall of separation" between The Church and The State. Would you be surprised to find that I AGREE with this?

So what's the rub? Well, the question would have to be what do you mean by "separation"? Is the "wall" built to protect the Church or the State?

The common use of the term now days implies that the State, the government, needs to be protected from interference or influence by "The Church." That somehow government is strictly a secular institution, and to be fair it must be devoid of religion.

I would disagree. I take the position that the "wall of separation" is actually supposed to be a fortification built around The Church to protect religion from interference by the government, and that the government, OUR form of government, will always be influenced by the religious beliefs of the people, AND ... I'll even go a step further and claim that it is not only OK, but completely legal and constitutional for the dominant religious belief to be expressed through government action. Since centuries of political precedent doesn't seem enough to convince some people, we'll take a look at some of the issues within this issues.

1. Thomas Jefferson

Since it is a pretty hot topic, most people probably know that the term "wall of separation" came from Thomas Jefferson. Even way back then, the idea was being brought up. Here's the thing, though: Which definition was Jefferson using? A simple look at the context would clear that up.

Without getting bogged down in too many details, basically the comment itself was made in a letter Jefferson wrote to a group of baptists who were concerned about the government imposing its will on religious practice. Jefferson was seeking to reassure them and said that it is necessary that there is a "wall of separation between church and state."

That in itself would seem to prove Jefferson's intent and reasoning was to protect the Church from the Government and NOT to keep religious expression out of government.

Actually, if Jefferson believed religious expression had no place in governance, then a belief in a Creator and a need to adhere to that Creator's law, would not have been the very BASIS of the case he laid out in the Declaration of Independence.

So, clearly the idea does not come from Jefferson, even though he is often pointed to and the phrase itself came from him.

Jefferson was profoundly religious and an avid writer. Of literally thousands of letters we have from him, many deal with religion. His thoughts on the matter are plainly laid out for anyone who wants to see them. As well as his actions in support of religious activity in government. 

While someone may think there SHOULD be a "wall of separation" keeping religion out of government, Jefferson is not a source for supporting that argument.