The Constitution was written and signed in 1787. It, however, entered into force in 1789. It enshrines the fundamental framework of the US system of governance. Accordingly, it establishes the Congress, Presidency and Supreme Court. Besides, it provides for the bill of rights. On the other hand, the Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 and adopted by the Congress on July 4, the same year. Accordingly, it preceded the Constitution. In a nutshell, the Declaration of Independence enunciates themes such as equality and inalienable entitlements to all citizens, the philosophy of public governance, legitimacy of governments and lack thereof. Besides, it stipulates a series of grievances against the King of England the object of which was to justify separation from British rule. In spite of the fact that it does not have strict legal binding force; it is regarded as a very important document in the US. This is due to the fact that it informed the basis upon which the nation was formed besides inspiring the enactment of the Constitution (Rakove, 2009). This paper seeks to critically analyze the similarities and differences on the question of the principle of separation of state and church among the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the 1802 Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists Association.
The doctrine of the separation between the church and the state finds no expression in the original Constitution. However, the First Amendment introduced the doctrine in question. It forbids the Congress from enacting any legislation that has the effect of “respecting an establishment of religion” or impeding “the free exercise thereof” Adopted in 1791, the aforementioned amendment was enacted against the backdrop of denominational diversity among states in the history of America’s Christianity. Therefore, prevention of religious persecution, prevention of preferential treatment accorded to Christianity and avoidance of a national establishment appear to have informed the state indifference to religious affairs portrayed in the spirit and letter of the religious clause enshrined in the First Amendment (Palm, 1997). This view has over time gained traction culminating in a general scholarly consensus.
Contrary to the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence invokes God in its preamble. Consequently, it has informed the popular view that the signers of the declaration may have intended that the US be governed by a supreme being, bringing about the notion of synergy between God and government (Jefferson, 2015). Strangely, the Constitution does not even makes mention of the word ‘god’ in its entire text. Besides, it expressly forbids religious tests to hold office under the third paragraph of the Sixth Article. Therefore, the Constitution upholds the principle of separation of church and state, whereas the Declaration of Independence appears to create a nexus between the two.
In his January 1, 1802, letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut, President Thomas Jefferson, as he then was, confirmed the principle of separation of church and state. He was writing in response to counsel solicited by the aforementioned association regarding allegations of infringements of religious persecutions perpetuated by the Connecticut state legislature. President Jefferson coined the phrase “wall of separation between church and state” by which the origin of the principle of separation of church and state has been credited to him. The position taken by Jefferson was inspired by the belief that the question of religion “lies solely between man and his God” as opposed to the Constitution’s which was informed by prevention of religious persecution occasioned by the unwarranted influence of church over the state (Hamburger, 2002).
The biblical worldview seems to uphold a strict separation approach regarding the question as to the relationship between state and church. To this end, the biblical doctrine of free will is illustrative. It is premised on the belief that God created men and gave them the free will to either choose to worship Him or not. As a result, any act by the state that has the consequences of constraining individual’s field of choice as to whom and how to worship amounts to an anti thesis to the Christian worldview. Establishment of the state religion, preferences accorded to a particular church over others, and discrimination against certain persons based on their religious beliefs comprises instances that limit such God-given choices (Johnson, 2013).
Furthermore, the separation between state and the church is manifested in one of the Apostle Paul’s letters to the Church in Corinth. In a concerted attempt by the apostle to “build a hedge of separation between state and church”, he poses the question; “what harmony is there between God and Belial?” in the fifteenth verse of the sixth chapter of his second letter to the Corinthians. Biblical encapsulation of such separationist doctrines demonstrates the inclination of the biblical worldview towards a strict separation between state and church (Parshall & Parshall, 2000).
Nevertheless, the biblical worldview does not tolerate neutralism as proffered by the pro-separation approach. On the contrary, the said worldview is predicated on the Jesus’ teachings to the effect that one, the state included, cannot be lukewarm. They are either for Christ or against him. Accordingly, the state cannot have its cake and eat it. It ought to either endorse Christianity to the fullest or disassociate itself completely from religious affairs. The latter option asserts more credence as opposed to the former since it resonates with the spirit of free will doctrine as enshrined in the Old Testament (Johnson, 2013).
In conclusion, the Constitution of the US upholds the principle of separation of church and state. The 1802 Thomas Jefferson letter to the Danbury Baptist Association entrenches it as well. However, a critical examination of the Declaration of Independence reveals the fusion between God and government. To sum up, analysis of the biblical worldview manifests the inclination of the worldview towards a strict separationist approach.
References
Hamburger, P. (2002). Separation of Church and State. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Jefferson, T. (2015). Declaration of Independence. New York: Booklassic.
Johnson, W. (2013, November 12). Christian Worldview and Apologetics: Separation of Church and State. Retrieved April 4, 2016, from The Courier: https://baptistcourier.com/2013/11/christian-worldview-apologetics-separation-church-state/
Palm, D. C. (1997). On Faith and Free Government. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Parshall, J., & Parshall, C. (2000). The Light in the City: Why Christians Must Advance and Not Retreat. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Inc.
Rakove, J. N. (2009). The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
