Religion and the Law

Serving Jesus faithfully requires Christians to proclaim our political values proudly and without apologies. But as Jesus himself argued, our faith does not negate our responsibilities in a secular nation. And in our modern, pluralistic society, we have an obligation to protect the rights of all people — religious or not — to express their beliefs in the public sphere.

Key Points

• The Constitution’s first amendment requires freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. Our government must neither silence nor coerce religious expression.
• Keeping the government out of organized religion is meant to strengthen the practice of religion, not weaken it.
• Jesus recognized the distinction between religion and government when he said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Mark 12:13-17; Matthew 22:15-22 and Luke 20:20-26)

Issue Analysis

Religion and government are in many ways separate realms, and most Americans are rightly skeptical of the intermingling of the two. Still, the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution — specifically, the “free exercise” or “establishment” clause — is not about weakening religion, but about liberating it from the shackles of government oppression. As President Clinton argued, freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from religion. Our government must neither silence nor coerce religious expression. The genius of this delicate balance is one of the reasons why, unlike much of the Western world, religion in the United States remains strong, diverse, and genuine.

Sadly, Republicans have often played fast and loose with this balance — looking the other way or even applauding when schools, courts, and other public institutions have explicitly supported one organized religion over another. They forget that European settlers came to this continent precisely to flee religious persecution from their government.

Just as bad, Republicans have intoned sanctimoniously about the need for “faith-based initiatives” while slashing the budgets of the social service programs to which charities and faith-based groups are already applying for funding. There is a gap between the Republicans’ words and actions when it comes to supporting people of faith who seek to make a difference in public life.

The government must therefore protect and honor the freedom of all citizens to incorporate their faith (if any) when expressing themselves in the public sphere. As Senator Barack Obama asserted:

“Frederick Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, Williams Jennings Bryan, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King — indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history — were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. So to say that men and women should not inject their ‘personal morality’ into public policy debates is a practical absurdity. Our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition.”

FaithfulDemocrats.com itself seeks to serve as a prophetic Christian voice in the political arena. We are proud of our faith and insist on using that power to make a difference in the country we love. Nevertheless, we believe that all religious voices — and the voices of those with no faith at all — must be heard in the marketplace of political ideas.

What Scripture Says

Scripture says very little explicitly about the proper relationship between religion and the law, at least not for Christians. But in the context of ancient Judaism, when the idea of theocracy was embraced, Jesus’ call to distinguish between religion and government was radical indeed:

“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” (Mark 12:13-17; Matthew 22:15-22 and Luke 20:20-26)

At the same time, Scripture requires that we let the light of our faith shine for all to see:

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)