America has always taken pride in being “the land of the free”. Freedom is such an important ideal that it has its own place in the First Amendment of the Constitution. To recap, this grants Americans freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to assembly, the right to petition, and most importantly of all: freedom of religion.
The founders established the “separation of church and state”, preventing the creation of any state-sponsored religion. However, their definition of “separation” has always been vague and up for interpretation by the states. The founders claimed they wanted a strict dichotomy between religion and politics, yet religious symbols are present throughout the American government today.
Hustle Culture Inspired by Religion
Even the modern, profit-based, secular values of capitalism were partially influenced by Protestant values. According to Max Weber in his book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, religious ideas from groups such as the Calvinists in the 17th and 18th centuries, like practicing asceticism, influenced the spirit of modern capitalism. Asceticism is the practice of not engaging in any sins, and only existing to work and pray to God daily. Calvinists saw profit and material success as “signs of God’s favor”, so they would work as much as possible. Their dedication is reminiscent of modern day capitalism, where people are encouraged to monetize everything they possibly can, including hobbies such as a homemade jewelry business. Religion subtly infiltrates our economic system, but also characterizes the most popular displays of American patriotism.
The Intersection of Church and State in Mainstream America
Quite honestly, the separation of church and state was never firmly established, just loosely encouraged. The addition of “In God We Trust” getting printed all over American currency was passed into law in 1955 by President Eisenhower through bill H.R. 619. Representative Charles E. Bennett of Florida introduced the bill in the House, claiming “...these particular four words ‘In God We Trust’ are indigenous to our country.” Nowhere in the first ten amendments of the Constitution does it explicitly mention these words. They’ve only been part of America since the bill was passed.
One of the most popular examples of religion and government intertwining are the words “One Nation Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. Contrary to popular belief, they weren’t always a part of the pledge, which was created in 1892. They were added to the pledge on Flag Day in 1954 by President Eisenhower, thanks to the influence of a Scottish reverend who immigrated to America named Reverend George Docherty. He felt that God was quintessential to the American experience and adding God to the Pledge of Allegiance would include other religions outside of Christianity. However, he did so without considering the views of atheists. This measure clearly missed the point of “separation of church and state”, which was to separate all religions from being imposed by the government, not just Christianity. Eventually, changes were made so that a person’s religious beliefs don't interfere with government policies, such as the Lemon Test.
The Lemon Test is a three-pronged test that determines if a law is intersecting too much with religion. It was created based on the verdict of the 1971 court case Lemon v. Kurtzman. The test requires that government laws are passed for secular purposes only, they don’t advance or inhibit the practice of a specific religion, and can’t foster an excessive government entanglement with religion. This test theoretically should have prevented fostering religion in our government for good, but it hasn’t stopped state legislatures from passing their own religious agenda, due to mixed interpretations of “excessive” entanglement.
Florida was 1 of 7 states in 2018 that passed legislation that required “In God we Trust” to be posted in schools throughout the state. It was passed into law by Representative Kimberly Daniels one week after the 2018 school shooting in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Its outward intention was to give people something to believe in after such a tragic event, but many critics claim that it was an “empty gesture” in uniting the community after the Parkland shooting and a ploy to pass legislation that promoted religion. This legal interpretation expanded even further when states like Alabama have shown strong support for allowing or requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted on government-funded property.
The line between religion and state is constantly blurring in this country, and legislators aren’t trying to hide it anymore. It’s time to permanently untangle religion from the state.
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