The American guarantees of religious freedom and the separation of church and state contained in the first amendment of the Constitution illustrate "in the words of Leo Pfeffer, "a radical experiment unique in human history" (Qtd. in Cherniss 1).

And while it seems that we're far beyond the days of a papacy that could "raise armies, lay taxes, and depose kings" the problem of religion's place in public life continues to be one of the most divisive conflicts we face today.

The problem in America is that we have failed to find a balance between our religious lives and politics. For so many, it has become a black and white issue that rests comfortably upon the slogan "wall of separation," without stopping to consider that maybe Martin Luther was correct when he introduced his belief in the 1500s that religion and politics could exist peacefully within society, without this so-called wall keeping the two so distant from each other they could never cross paths.

Hundreds of years later, it's a concept that Americans have failed to grasp. Subsequently, many Americans feel left out of the process. What do you do if you're religious or concerned with moral issues, and at the same time find yourself "pro-poor, pro-racial reconciliation, critical of purely military solutions, and defenders of the environment" (Wallis 17)? The way that our government is run by "polarities" (Wallis 17) makes this type of person forgotten by the political process and without sufficient representation in government.

In A Letter Concerning Toleration, John Locke argues for a more highly developed understanding of the relationship between religion and government. He lays out the roles of both external interests of life, liberty, and property vs. salvation but does little to lay out a foundation of exactly how the two can coexist within civil government. In fact, while he argues for the distinct separation of the two, other than mentioning they must complement each other, Locke fails to answer the questions that America is struggling with today: how do we keep religious life separate from the state but at the same time incorporate the good things it provides to the community fairly.

While it is clear a Judeo-Christian foundation is important to government in the eyes of Locke he goes so far as to insist atheists should not be tolerated because "Promises, covenants, and oaths, which are the bonds of human society, can have no hold upon an atheist" (Locke 51) he does little

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about The case against separation of church and state?
We want to hear your view. Write now!