Because Freedom Can't Protect Itself

Allison Maier

Capital High School

A Question of Absolute Truth

            In the year 1787, weary members of the Constitutional convention in Philadelphia finally signed their completed document.  Here, they had written down the guidelines for the United States, the thoughts on government and politics that would be uniquely American.  Little did they know on this September day how their writings would still be cause for controversy over two centuries later.  This and the Bill of Rights would together be the cause of one of the biggest ongoing political debates, dealing with the relationship between freedom of religion and the separation of church and state.  Despite the many efforts to merge the two, it is not entirely possible to have religious freedom while following the principle of separation of church and state, which is shown in the constitution, in present day events and the idea that there is no absolute truth. 

            One of the main arguments presented is the fact that the Constitution never directly states that there should be separation of church and state.  The statement came in a letter from Thomas Jefferson, who had been in Paris during the writing of the constitution.  However, certain statements made in the Constitution show that the founders, who had escaped religious persecution themselves, agreed with the idea of separating the church from the government.  The first amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”  Some believe that this is only applicable to a state church, but others believe that it goes beyond that, it in fact bans establishment of any religious belief.  Whatever the founding fathers truly wanted from this statement, it is proof they wanted to differentiate themselves from other countries that have a religion dominating every aspect of their life.  Nowhere in the Constitution is an obvious statement saying that there should be Christianity.  Article VI of the constitution states that “no religious test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”  This shows that the members of the convention were thinking about the line separating religion from politics.  They didn’t want the two to become related, because that complicates things greatly and goes against their goals in creating the guidelines of the United States government. 

            Today, heated debates often flare up in response to these issues, oftentimes dealing with religion in schools.  The most recent argument that has drawn the attention of people around the globe is the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance with the words “under God.”  The original pledge did not contain these words; they were added in 1954 by Congress after it was requested by the Knights of Columbus.  Their reasoning was that it was now a “patriotic oath and a public prayer.”  In reality, it was an infringement on the right to freedom of religion as well as a blatant disregard for the separation of church and state.  It seems as though religion and patriotism became one and the same, making an uncomfortable situation for those who are not Christians but still support their country. 

            What it comes down to is that there is no absolute truth.  In a recent interview, Bill Clinton said, “people believe their religious convictions give them the possession of the absolute truth, which they can turn into a political program, and therefore believe their opponents are somehow almost less than human because they don’t share that truth” (Ladies’ Home Journal 154).  Everybody has their own beliefs and ideas, and these are what they see as their truth.  People try to make their truth override another’s because they believe that their truth is “more true” than the other, and therefore can create laws or government that will yield to their truth.  When a majority believes this truth, it becomes even harder for the minorities to stand up for their truths.  In the end, there is no absolute truth because there is no way to combine all of these beliefs into one.  The state should not make these truths part of their government, people can practice their beliefs in churches or their own homes, but they should never infringe on another’s.  That is why there can’t be complete freedom of religion without separation of church and state.  

            The debate over freedom of religion and the separation of church is far from over.  It has been present in history since before the constitution and is nowhere near disappearing.  It is one of the many reasons the Constitution was created, is seen every day in present society and touches on the controversy of one absolute truth.  An answer has not presented itself yet as to how people will deal with the many issues.  America is unique in its mix of people and cultures, and trying to incorporate religion will simply set our country up to rethink this identity.