Lack of Separation of Church and State in America
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution enjoins the government from interfering with any religion or church, but does not legislate against a religion or church interfering with the government. The first amendment to the constitution states that “…no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” One of the reasons people migrated to the New World in the first place was for religious freedom, and when our constitution was written, it promised religious freedom for everyone. Unfortunately, the constitution does not promise freedom from religion. It is interesting to note that in the U.S. the trend has been toward religiosity increasingly intervening into government activity. The Constitution does not mention God but in 1892 the Supreme Court stated “This is a Christian nation”. 1 In 1952, at the height of the Communist fervor, the Supreme Court was more inclusive: “we are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being”2. Congress declared “In God We Trust” as the national motto in 1956 and two years earlier had inserted “one nation under God” into the pledge of allegiance. 3 Religion has encroached ever since. Eight states in this country, Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas will not allow an otherwise eligible candidate to hold any office or public trust, if the said candidate does not believe in a God or Superior Being. To get around the first amendment, many states include in their constitutions belief in God or Supreme Being as a qualification for office. Two prime examples are Tennessee and Texas. In Tennessee, Article 9 Section 2 states “No person who denies the being of God or a future state of rewards and punishments shall hold any office in the civil department of this State.” In the Texas state constitution, Article 1 Section 14 reads “No religious test shall ever be required as a