The constitution's war on religion

James Madison is called the father of the Constitution. If he were alive today, he would be dismissed by many as a fervent God hater stomping on our religious freedoms.

For example, Madison would have objected to any IU class about religion that any of us have taken.

He believed that, in keeping with the First Amendment, public universities should offer no theology or religion classes whatsoever.

Imagine the uproar if President Barack Obama tried to enforce that view of the First Amendment.

When Congress decided to appoint a chaplain to conduct opening prayers for the day of legislative business, Madison lost it: “Is the appointment of Chaplains to the two Houses of Congress consistent with the Constitution, and with the pure principle of religious freedom? In the strictness the answer on both points must be in the negative.”

Not only is there a chaplain today, there is also a prayer room whose contents were approved by “an interfaith advisory committee, comprised of the House/Senate chaplains and a Catholic and Jewish representative.”

What if Obama bulldozed this exclusively Judeo-Christian enclave and kicked the chaplains out?

This should raise questions. Are we actually in the midst of an Obama war on religion? Is he disregarding our religious freedom by allowing this prayer room?

The answer is no.

Americans have as much freedom from religion as they have freedom of religion.
I should have the right to practice my religion, so long as it doesn’t infringe upon others’ rights, i.e., by sacrificing them to the Mayan gods.

This distinction is lost today in the hurricane of myths about America being a nation founded on religion.

America is a nation founded on freedom of expression, which includes freedom of religion.

But it wasn’t founded to support religion — Madison proves this.

Ironically enough, many of Madison’s writings revolve around his desire to protect a singular, tiny sect of Christianity from the tyranny of the much larger group of mainstream Christians.

This tiny cult was persecuted quite often in early America due to the fear that they would try to force their leader’s views upon everyone else.

That little, tiny sect didn’t have a House Chaplain of its denomination elected until the year 2000.

And by that time, Catholicism was hardly a tiny sect.

Today, the papacy is battling for supremacy in the American policy agenda, while at the same time demanding absolute non-intervention of government in religious matters.

As Minnesota Rep. John Lesch writes, “The church, with one hand, waves the bus of government through the intersection of Church and State, and into your choice of spouses; with the other hand it seeks to halt otherwise free access to contraceptive health care for its employees.”

It’s time to take a step back and reexamine the relationship between church and state.

The wall needs to be rebuilt.

— shlumorg@indiana.edu