Integration of Faith in Government

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Recommended: The role of religion in contemporary society

Throughout history the world has had a constant struggle how much faith is allowed into the public square and the role it plays in government. To some faith and government must be totally separated, to have it partly intertwined with government, and completely integrated with government. Faith plays a part of our lives and in times of crisis it can shape how we response to that crisis. I will look at the three different aspects dealing with this issue and explain which one is the best.
The first theory in regards to faith and politics is that it must be separated from politics. Subscribers of this theory base it on previous case law and pieces of letters and treaties that the US has signed. They believe that the US or any nation should not force people into a religion nor give state support to that religion. The most quote letter is Thomas Jefferson letter to the Baptists of Danbury Connecticut saying that a wall of separation had appeared between church and state (Drachman et al 34). On November 4, 1796, the United States signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the Barbary pirates, in Article 11 it states the US was not founded as a Christian religion (Avalon). That article has been used by many non-religious groups to base their views on. Today, there are groups such as the Freedom from Religion, the Humanist Society, and the American Civil Liberties Union have fought any type of religious faith in the public square.
In recent history the Vinson, Warren, Burger, Rehnquist, and Roberts Courts have handed down several decision that have limited religion in the public square. Those courts have had a landmark case regarding faith, Vinson had Everson, Warren had Engel and Abington, Burger had Lemon, Rehnquist had Santa Fé,...

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Orkent, Daniel. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. Last Laugh, Inc., 2010.
Rosenberg, Joel. Implosion: Can America Recover From Its Economic and Spiritual Challenges in Time?. Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publisher, 2012.
Rudd, Kevin. "Faith in politics." The Monthly 17 (2006): 22-30
Schaeffer, Francis. How Should We Then Live?: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2005.
Schaeffer, Francis. A Christian Manifesto. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2005.
United States, . The Avalon Project, "Treaty of Peace and Friendship." Last modified 2008. Accessed November 14, 2013. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/bar1796t.asp.

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