An In-Depth Look at the Separation between Church and State *

http://omeka.lib.fsu.edu/files/original/f15cf005647e8db395e8f952529d701b.pdf

A look at how the seperation between
church and state is not as real as it seems.
[Instructor converted .doc to pdf.]

Ryan Bianco, Fall 2015

As an American, I was raised with the undying belief that are nation was pure. I believed in the purity of its ideals, which seemed innocent and comforting, and I believed in its founding ideology. The ideology itself is good, for it promotes the overall well-being for the majority of people. Things such as the pursuit of happiness and private property can all be attributed to being a good thing in the U.S.A even today. Yet, when researching the U.S.A more and more I found that religion still plays a vital role in the government today. Many political arguments can be traced to religious ones and if that is the case, is the separation of church and state authentic? In the essay, I argue how the separation of church and state is true in that the federal government cannot enforce one specific religion upon its citizens, as the law stands today, but the politicians that pass laws and legislation are heavily influenced by religious beliefs and practices so religion does still make its way into the government. This paper takes a look at the certain religious demographics and the parties that the vote for, how politicians are influenced by these voters’ opinions, how Congress is a misrepresentation of the overall religious landscape in America, and how the conversation of religion and politics has become taboo to do during a federal election. This paper seeks to educate everyone about how thin the veil of a truly separate church and state is to all Americans and what Americans can do to fight back.