One Nation under God: The Religious Right and the Separation of Church and State in the United States

Graeme Archibald

doi:10.29173/agora19042

Abstract

In the increasingly polarised debate that is American politics, religion and religious belief has garnered a significant amount of attention in recent years, particularly `on the right-wing of the political spectrum. Despite the separation of Church and State expressly laid out in the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, many Republican politicians and faith-based organisations reject the idea of a secular United States and instead assert the supremacy of Judeo-Christian values in the American political discourse. This paper seeks to examine the activities of right-wing Christian political organisations, who oppose Church/State separation and their connections to U.S. politicians, as well as the deeper causes of the Religious Right’s staunch opposition to the Establishment Clause.

Highlights

In November 2011, a number of candidates vying for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination attended the “Thanksgiving Family Forum” in Iowa, an event organized by Focus on the Family, the National Organization for Marriage, and the FAMILY Leader, -- all notable organizations of the Christian right-wing with significant political involvement.[1]
The Family Research Council openly rejects the Supreme Court’s 1947 ruling on the meaning of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, declaring that “[the Founders] did not intend a “wall of separation” between all expressions of faith in God and all aspects of public life.”[32]. The FRC goes beyond the ‘wall of separation’ and openly advocates for “public officials [to] proclaim their faith in public settings and to bring their religiously-informed moral values to bear in election campaigns and public policy decisions”[33]
As the quote that opened this paper revealed, Newt Gingrich is no fan of the separation of church and state – he has stated that

Summary

Introduction

In November 2011, a number of candidates vying for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination attended the “Thanksgiving Family Forum” in Iowa, an event organized by Focus on the Family, the National Organization for Marriage, and the FAMILY Leader, -- all notable organizations of the Christian right-wing with significant political involvement.[1]. The Family Research Council openly rejects the Supreme Court’s 1947 ruling on the meaning of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, declaring that “[the Founders] did not intend a “wall of separation” between all expressions of faith in God and all aspects of public life.”[32] The FRC goes beyond the ‘wall of separation’ and openly advocates for “public officials [to] proclaim their faith in public settings and to bring their religiously-informed moral values to bear in election campaigns and public policy decisions”[33] From these statements, it is clear that the FRC is fundamentally against the separation of Church and State, as well as a demonstrated belief that Christian values should be a source of guidance in public policy decisions. According to CitizenLink’s 2010 Annual Report, the organization spent over $4.7 million on these public policy awareness campaigns.[62]

The Politicians

Findings

Conclusion