I grew up in a Roman Catholic military family. I was sent to Catholic school for my entire life. I studied theology - of the Catholic Church and many other faiths - out of pure interest in my spare time for years. Religion can serve a good purpose in this world, but it does not belong in government.
There’s so much debate about the official separation of church and state, that nobody can really say whether or not it’s unconstitutional for the United States government to be secular. Some say, the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion is all the proof they need. But others point out the fact that “separation of church and state” appear nowhere in the Constitution, but in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Church.
There are parts of the Constitution which prohibit “religious tests” as a qualification for holding federal office to prevent the amalgamation of church and state, but the official separation is much more ambiguous.
Though the freedom of religion and a clear separation of church and state seem to go hand in hand, there are things that violate that principle that are apart of everyday American life. The “under God in the Pledge of Allegiance” debate has been raging since it was added in 1954 by Dwight Eisenhower.
Many groups argue that “God” can mean any god - Christian, Jewish, Muslim or otherwise, but the word “God”, capitalized as such, generally refers to the Christian notion of God the Father. It seems a little convenient.
The legality of the separation of church and state isn’t something I can speak very prolifically about. I’m not a law student or a theologian. I don’t believe in God, and I’m rapidly losing faith in the United States government with each passing day. As “President” Trump continues to drive a wedge further and further into the American demographic, it seems religion is just going to be the next controversy on his list.
Whenever I hear Trump talk about the United States being a “nation of Christians”, I almost want to be sick. We are not a nation of Christians. We are a nation of Christians and Jews and Muslims and Catholics and Baptists and Atheists and Taoists and Hindus and Buddhists and fucking Pastafarians. We are the Great American Melting Pot. Our ancestors came from across the world, bringing not only their customs, but their faiths as well. The point of all this is that America isn’t a nation that fits neatly into a little box. We are diverse in many ways, including religiously.
Something I can expound upon, though, is how lucky I feel to be able to even sit down at a computer and write this article - to be legally allowed to express my opinion on the way our government is run. I don’t have to live in fear of being kidnapped or executed or made to disappear because I published a controversial opinion.
I believe in freedom. I don't think anybody should be forced to believe something they don't want to. I think everyone can have their own opinion. This is mine. I believe America is still one of the most diverse places in the world, and I hope it continues to stay that way.
