Seperation of Church and State

The United States is a notoriously religious country by nature. Two very prominent topics in U.S citizens day to day lives are their political and religious beliefs and over the course of the past hundred plus years the two seem to have become inseparable. The struggle of religion in politics has been a hot debate for centuries. Presidents and politicians alike have been preying on people’s religious beliefs for votes for as long as time can tell. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, “Throughout the nation’s history, political and social movements- from abortion to women’s suffrage to civil rights- have drawn upon religious institutions for moral authority, inspirational leadership and organizational muscle.” The United States has a long standing tradition of separating church and state but almost all politicians run on a campaign that encompasses many religious ideals. According to Pew recent elections more than ever have had religion deeply woven into the fabrics of politics. Religion has found its way into almost all of the fabrics of our lives and has been leaking its way into one thing that was originally supposed to be kept separate. This controversy even dates back to twenty- three B.C and can be found deep in the roots of the Roman Empire, can be found in the constitution, and Ronald Reagan even created a new political frontier.

The idea of Church and State has roots dating thousands of years ago. The first collaboration of politics and religion can be seen in Roman law. Augustus the emperor of Rome in twenty-three B.C was very religious and he considered religion to be the cornerstone of a strong state. With this belief “he restored traditional priesthoods, that had fallen into d...

... middle of paper ...

...yone." Luce Public Lectures in Global Religion and Human Security. University of Washington, Seattle. 09 Oct. 2008. Lecture.

Domke, David Scott., and Kevin M. Coe. The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Print.

Elshatain, Jean Bethke. "How does --Or should?--Theology Influence Politics?" Political Theology 5.3 (2004): 265-74. Web.

Griffin, Leslie. "Religion and Politics 2008-2009." Journal of Law & Religion 25.1 (2009): 205-19. Web.

Klink, Aaron. "Thumpin' it: The use and Abuse of the Bible in Today's Presidential Politics – by Jacques Berlinerblau." Reviews in Religion & Theology 16.1 (2009): 32-5. Web.

"Politics and Elections." Pewforum. Pew Research Center, 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. .

"Seperation of Chuch and State." Google. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.