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Religion In America

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In the 1600s, a theologian, Roger Williams, developed the phrase ‘separation between church and state’ “to signify the protection that the church needed in order to prevent misuse and corruption by political leaders” (Epps). The debate between church and state in America has gone on since before Europeans came to North America. Today’s society has forced the church to stay away from government, but many people want the church to still be part of the government as it was in America’s beginning. While church and state have two completely different beliefs and should not be completely unified, they do need to work together to unite America as they have in the past.
Religion has always been a part of America’s history, from before its independence, with the acceptance of religion, to today’s society which pushes religion away. …show more content…
When Jefferson wrote the Declaration of independence, he included many references of God, Adams, in a letter to his wife during his presidency, wrote, “I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and All that shall hereafter Inhabit it, May none but honest and Wise Men ever rule,” and while both Madison and his successor, Monroe, were religious men, they kept religion away from their careers (Moore 77, 79, 84). Later, Dwight Eisenhower expressed his opinion of the church-state debate by saying that America must have spirituality put into the government if it is to make sense (Worthen, “How Long”). To explain his view on religious freedom, Jefferson said that ”it does me no injury for my neighbor to believe in twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg" (Edwards). While some presidents stayed away from using religion and spirituality in their presidencies, others embraced it and made it a daily part of American life, but almost all have ended their terms with a similar result:

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