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Since the election of Gov. Sam Brownback, Kansans have witnessed a disturbing trend in blurring the lines between church and state.
It has taken roughly two generations for self-serving politicians and the religious right to smear this noble principle as a fictitious protection in the Constitution. In reality, the battle to destroy the separation principle was a highly partisan scheme concocted in the early 1980s to lure Southern Democrats to the Republican Party by attacking the principle as a sinister plan by godless liberals.
Most Americans are unaware of the history behind religious freedom in America. In 1787, the founders took the historic step of adopting the political philosophy that governing should be separate from personal devotion and doctrines of faith. To avoid the sectarian violence European nations experienced, the founders fashioned a new government to accommodate all beliefs and uphold freedom of conscience.
The First Amendment provides the mechanism for separating governing from religion with two distinct clauses. The establishment clause prohibits an establishment of religion by the government, while the free-exercise clause provides freedom of conscience to all.
Thus, the institution of religion is on its own in the marketplace of ideas, and Americans are free to decide their own beliefs. Government, however, is limited to the business of governing — not joining with religion and dictating beliefs to the nation and stirring up sectarian disputes.
Unfortunately, in the 19th century, politicians and powerful clergy ignored the separation principle. The Protestant faith was supreme during this period and had little regard for other beliefs — especially those of atheists.
Ironically, it was the Catholic Church and other religious minorities that first began to use state courts to uphold the separation principle. Catholic parents objected to their children being forced to recite mandatory Protestant prayers in school. As the nation became more diverse and other faiths grew stronger, the courts faced more challenges to defend the separation principle.
By the 1970s, students did not doubt the importance and wisdom of the separation principle. No one confused the fact that our Constitution was derived from English common law instead of the Ten Commandments. Students understood their government was secular, but America's religious beliefs and culture were largely Christian.
Fast-forward to 2011 and much has changed. Religious groups such as Focus on the Family have convinced many Americans that the founders created a Christian nation and that the real rule of law in America is the Ten Commandments.
Sadly, political pressure and cultural ridicule have caused political leaders to fall short in upholding the separation principle. Americans must reject political efforts to use public funds to partner with religion (school vouchers, faith-based programs) that elevate and promote religion through the government, as the Brownback administration is striving to do in Kansas.
Denying the separation principle has created exactly what the founders labored to avoid — mismanaged government and sectarian suspicions for those who hold a different viewpoint.
