Rick Santorum may be a terrible politician, but when it comes to being a conduit for some of the hoariest, long-standing myths of the right, he’s ol’ reliable. His latest bleatings are of particular interest, because, without meaning to, Santorum managed to articulate one of the biggest lies that has fueled the conservative movement for decades now: The myth that America was “supposed” to be a theocracy, but somehow lost its way…. Santorum…said, “The words ‘separation of church and state’ is not in the U.S. Constitution, but it was in the constitution of the former Soviet Union. That’s where it very, very comfortably sat, not in ours.”
I’ve always been rather amused by the Right-wing delusion that America is a Christian nation. Anyone who didn’t sleep through their junior high school Civics class understands that this county was originally settled by Puritans fleeing religious oppression in England. The Founding Fathers, who were by no means uniformly Christian in their beliefs, were quite firm in their belief that American governance should be secular. They knew that maintaining a strict separation of Church and State was the only way to avoid religious tyranny in everyday life. To put it in modern terms, this is why America isn’t Pakistan, or Iran, or Somalia.
One can argue that the words “separation of Church and State” aren’t in the Constitution. While the absence of the phrase may be true, it doesn’t obscure the clear intent of the Founding Fathers. To support that, allow me to offer three examples that conclusively demonstrate the intent that Church and State be clearly separated:
1) The Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment: The Establishment Clause prevents Congress from passing laws “respecting an establishment of religion.” This means that not only is Congress proscribed from establishing an official religion, they cannot pass legislation elevating the interests of one religion over others.
2) Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists: Jefferson clearly stated his belief that American governance should be secular. ““Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.” Tough to argue about where he falls on the issue, eh?
3) The Treaty of Tripoli: Article 11 of the 1796 Treaty between the U.S. and Tripoli begins, “As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion….”
I’m not certain the case for the separation of Church and State could have been made more clearly.
I don’t know about you, but I believe those three points clearly establish the intent of the Founding Fathers that America NOT be considered a Christian nation, but a nation with a secular government in which each citizen is free to worship as they choose. Or not.
Perhaps if Santorum and his ilk actually bothered to read the Constitution and understand American history….
