"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...."
This was revolutionary thinking in the 18th century. Its brilliance and simple power cannot be overstated. In a world where science had not yet answered many of the fundamental questions about our existence, a government allowing its people to seek out their own answers to such questions is simply awe inspiring. That is why I am so discouraged where we, as a nation, find ourselves less than 250 years later.
While I will spare you the many of the details of the history that framed the debate over this portion of the Bill of Rights, there should be no disagreement as to its importance to the founding fathers. The participants in the Constitutional Convention had many disagreements over the role of religion in our society, but their solution was unique:
Let the people decide their own beliefs. This is the very definition of SECULARISM.
Now we find ourselves looking for the same kind of inspired and inspiring leadership today. The growing trend is for our "leaders" to wear their religion on their shirt sleeves. For many voters, a candidate or politician's belief in a supreme being "must" be reflected in their policy. And the idea of an avowed atheist being elected to any office higher than dog catcher is simply laughable.
Intelligent design, the Terry Schiavo bill, Roy Moore's Ten Commandments, God in the Pledge of Allegiance, welcome to the tyranny of the majority. There is a movement today by Christians to install Jesus in every public venue. While the fundamentalist and evangelical communities are in the forefront of this movement, every Christian (and even members of non-Christian faiths) bears some responsibility for being enablers of this effort. These are people who speak of the "separation of Church and State" with scorn and derision.
There are those who say "this is a Christian nation" or "this nation was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs". This kind of thinking is slowly but surely burning the Establishment clause from the Bill of Rights. And when that clause is in ashes by the DEMAND of the Christian "majority", the Free Exercise clause is sure to follow. Every time that ANY religion is codified by some official, be it a lowly bureaucrat in some backwater municipality to the President of the United States, another log is thrown on to the funeral pyre of the First Amendment. Do you smell smoke?
How have the members of the United State of Jesus advanced their agenda? By pushing their elected representatives to appoint like-minded individuals to the courts. These are jurists who not only believe that a "non-denominational God" on our currency or in the Pledge doesn't violate the Establishment Clause, but also believe that the public display of the Ten Commandments is only a statement of our "historical" tradition. If packing the courts and elected offices with what I call religo-crats doesn't work, do you really think it is that far-fetched that they would push for a Constitutional amendment proclaiming this a "Christian nation"?
Is there a God? Was Jesus his "son"? Is the Earth doomed to an apocalyptic end when the cast of "Silverado" rides into town? I am an atheist, so you can guess where I stand. More importantly, are these questions that you want YOUR GOVERNMENT to have a stated position on? Do we need the Congress or the White House to tell us what God wants for this nation? Do we think they really know what God wants? Is it YOUR God to whom they are listening?
When we talk about the "tyranny of the majority", there is no more TYRANNICAL group in America right now than Christian Fundamentalist. And there is not a group in this country that has a stronger grip on the political discourse. This frightens me like nothing in my life time. It makes the fear of nuclear annihilation during the Cold War look like a vacation by comparison. At least vanishing under a mushroom cloud would be quick. Living in a "Christian-utopia" that spreads from Maine to Hawaii would be an never-ending nightmare. Hey, who's ready to burn some witches, pagans and infidels?
Ask yourself these questions: which is more likely in your lifetime, an openly atheist President or the stars on the American flag being replaced by little crosses? Would you feel more comfortable with our elected officials asking themselves "What would Jesus do?", or "What would Jefferson/Washington/Lincoln do?"?
The framers of the Constitution showed amazing forethought. Or maybe they just saw the dangers of weaving religion into governance. It was clear to these wise individuals in 18th century America that the divisiveness of religion in government would doom their fledgling nation. It's a shame that realization didn't last into the 21st century.