Separation of Church and State in America

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It’s simple to spot how topics of keeping government and religion separate have come forth ever since the constitution was produced over two centuries ago. At that time, during the drafting of the constitution, many of these subjects were not even thought of. Nowadays, with all connections that can be made through the media, publicity of a numerous amount of these issues we are faced with now must be debated on how they will be interpreted. The notion that there should be a separation of church and state has long been a discussed topic and it will carry on to be one of the most debated topics that we, as a society, will come across. A good deal of people feel firmly that religion and government should continue to exist individually, mainly due to religious opinions. The notion of separation of church and state was first pitched by Thomas Jefferson who meant to use it as a way to declare that the government simply cannot force a person select a particular religion or be compelled to live by another’s religion.

The division of church and state, and the liberty of a freedom of morality it is created to preserve, are extensively embraced beliefs of the American appearance of liberal democracy. It is a, once uncomplicated, theory in concept and forlorn complicated in practice. It is one, a practical master play for preserving religious exuberance, and also a righteous declaration of the theory that religious and governmental validity are separate. In the future years ahead the outline of devout independence will carry on to alter as agreements are constructed and cultures are unified; this liveliness consists of the crucial power of, as Lincoln (1863) simply put it, “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.” {{Lincoln, A. 1863}}

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References

Separation of church and state (2007). Retrieved 2/3, 2016, from https://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/centers/boisi/pdf/bc_papers/BCP-ChurchState.pdf

Dawson, J. M.. (2008). The Meaning of Separation of Church and State in the First Amendment. Journal of Church and State, 50(4), 677–681. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23921771

Drakeman, D. L. (12). Reynolds v. united states: The historical construction of constitutional reality. Constitutional Commentary, 21(3), 697; 697.

Everson v. board of education of ewing township, 330 U.S. 1 (1947) . (2016). Retrieved 2/1, 2016, from http://www.firstamendmentschools.org/freedoms/case.aspx?id=467

Garry, P. M. (12). The myth of separation: America's historical experience with church and state. Hofstra Law Review, 33(2), 475; 475.

Lincoln, A. (1863). The Gettysburg Address. In The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln (234-238). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP. The citation for a website would look like this: Lincoln, A. (1863). The Gettysburg Address. Abraham Lincoln Online. Retrieved February 7, 2016, from http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm

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Visual Analysis [pic 1][pic 2][pic 3][pic 4][pic 5][pic 6]

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These images were chosen by searching through photos on the internet and finding the ones that would most strongly uphold my opinion on my topic which is the separation of the church and the state, or better worded as the separation of religion and government. I chose the above images because each one supports my position that there should be a separation, as much as physically possible, between the government and the nations religions. I included images of all types, sizes, and color to show that, no matter the differences of when and where these photos were published, they should all have the same impact on my topic. Some are photos, the one of the Bill of Rights for example, are of documents from the beginning of this nation. While others are photos from newspaper comics. My favorite photo in this collage would have to be the one to the most bottom right. This photo is my favorite because it so effortlessly explains my stance on the issue and why I have that particular position. It shows that the government is continually trying to create and build this “wall of separation” between both the church and he state, but people of the church—not of the government, as so many people see it—are the ones trying to tear down that barrier. It shows that the problem lies within us as a society and not all in the government so we should stop blaming the government and look to what traditions we see as “normal” in our society that should not be normalized.

The images appeal to two of the three rhetorical appeals: ethos and logos. The photo of the Bill of Rights appeals to ethos because the Bill of Rights is a very significant and credible document in history. The photo of a quote by James Madison reading “Religion and Government will exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together,” also can appeal to ethos because James Madison was the fourth president of the United States and is not only one of the Founding Father’s of America, but is known as the “Father of the Constitution,” and is very widely known and respected. The photo that appeals to logos, would be the other photos left in the collage. This includes the two on the bottom of the collage that show that there is and should be a wall to separate church and religion. The other photos that I arranged to appeal to logos would be the three photos that were placed together to show that church should be found one way and state should be found in the complete opposite direction. I used these rhetorical appeals to hopefully help my audience understand how I see the issue at hand, and grasp why I have the position that I do on this topic. I hope that after people view my Visual Analysis they’ll be able to better see things as I do and are persuaded to help the government build the imaginary wall of separation, instead of trying to tear it down.