…this fall, the court is poised to further limit our ability to hold elected officials accountable to this most basic provision of our Constitution. On Wednesday, the justices will hear arguments in Salazar v. Buono, a California case involving the erection of an 8-foot, free-standing Christian cross on what was previously federal park land in the Mojave National Preserve. I say “previously” because after the display was successfully challenged in court, our sly U.S. Congress simply deeded the small parcel of affected land to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, who apparently share Congress’ sentiment about such public displays of religiosity. Now, the nation’s high court will decide whether Congress can get away with such shenanigans.<\/p>\n
So what? Why should Americans care about such cases? After all, the vast majority of us are Christians of some stripe. Yes, we are, but our government isn’t. The framers of our Constitution \u201d\u201d many having witnessed the dangers of mixing church and state firsthand \u201d\u201d gave us a decidedly secular state. The only references to religion in our nation’s charter are to (a) forbid its establishment by the government, (b) protect its free exercise by individual citizens and (c) prohibit it as a test for public office.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, popular culture has taken its toll. Listen to enough politicians and televangelists complain that the United States has betrayed its godly heritage, and folks start believing them. Just two years ago, the Freedom Forum’s State of the First Amendment Survey found that 55% of Americans believe that the Constitution establishes Christianity as the national religion!<\/p>\n