Church and State

The phrase “separation of church and state” does not appear in the Constitution. The absence of this phrase does not mean that it is an invalid concept or that it cannot be used as a legal or judicial principle. The absence of these specific words does not mean that there is also an absence of the sentiment.

Courts have found that the principles behind the separation of church and state exist in the First Amendment, even if those words are not actually there: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” The point of this amendment is twofold. First, it ensures that religious beliefs – private or organized – are removed from attempted government control. Therefore, the government cannot dictate what you or any church what to believe or to teach. Second, it ensures that the government does not get involved with enforcing, mandating, or promoting particular religious doctrines. Hence, the government cannot establish a church or promote any particular church.

The argument that the Constitution is a Christian document and not a secular document is ridiculous. The Constitution does not embody the Ten Commandments in any way. The Constitution is, in fact, unusually secular for the time when it was written.

Now that the history of the separation of church and state is on the table, let’s move on. I will not use too much print to discuss First Timothy other than to say it was a letter written by Saint Paul instructing his friend how to care for his church at Ephesus. Best estimates claim this letter was written 30 to 60 years after the crucifixion of Christ. It was a letter written in response to problems Timothy was experiencing. Paul was offering solutions rather than dictates from God. It seems ludicrous that a debate about the First Amendment should focus on a short passage from the Bible. Women are now guaranteed the inalienable rights – nineteenth amendment, affirmative action, equal opportunities and employers, Roe v. Wade.

There are several more pressing issues facing the line drawn in the quick sand separating church and state than a Bible quote – such as the court battle over Intelligent Design and the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court.

Intelligent Design is a version of creationism that asserts life on earth is too complex to have evolved through natural selection and therefore must be the product of a “designer,” or an “intelligent force.” This theory is being promoted by Religious Right activists who have been unable to get creationism taught is public schools. School boards are starting to promote intelligent design in the classroom as a way to undermine evolution. Allow the public schools to teach scientific facts and allow churches to teach religious doctrine.

President George W. Bush’s Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. has a shady past regarding the spirit of the First Amendment. Alito also wrote a majority opinion in a case forcing a New Jersey public school district to allow Child Evangelism Fellowship to use school resources to disseminate religious material to students. The judge also joined a dissenting opinion in a case that invalidated a public policy permitting students to vote on whether to have prayer at graduation ceremonies. Furthermore, Alito maintained that he believed “very strongly in limited government, federalism, free enterprise, the supremacy of the elected branches of government … and the legitimacy of a government role in protecting traditional values.” I don’t care if you are an atheist, a Christian, Jewish or Budhist, this is not someone I want interpreting the Constitution in the highest court.

If you want to use the newspaper as a soapbox to discuss the separation of church and state, then do so discussing the issues at hand, not something that was written two centuries ago. Furthermore, there are 34,000 separate Christian groups identified in the world. According to the latest census information there are roughly 265 million people in the United States, 79.8 % of which are Christian; therefore, there are an estimated 211 million Christians in the United States. I assert, then, there are probably 211 million different ways to read the Bible and 211 million different ways to worship God in the United States.

I resent the assumption that I am easily unified under any banner of faith. Moreover, many Christians would be shocked that a woman minister of the Catholic Church is in the same category with them. Many of those same Christians would conclude my participation in the Catholic Church an abomination of the Christian faith. Please do not lump me in with those 211 million others nor dictate to me how I should feel about certain issues. God loves free press. God gave us free will. Isn’t life great.