Jesus articulated the principle of separation of church and state when he said “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Not until the United States came into being eighteen hundred years later, however, was the principle incorporated as a basic tenet of government and fundamental freedom.
It is so fundamental that it is the first right enumerated in the Bill of Rights: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…
The legitimacy of government is based on our mutual agreement to work together through government, not on the right to rule being ordained by any deity. As today, at the time our country was founded, there were many views of the divine, the role of the divine in human affairs, and what constitutes right relationship with the divine. These we recognize as matters of conscience, not to be forced upon anyone, but of individual choice.
Our country is special in having as a foundational principle tolerance of many beliefs in the context of one civil society, and that it is not appropriate to impose our particular beliefs on others using government. It is a great strength; one that has allowed a diverse people to live together and bring into existence a vital, creative, fundamentally peaceful society that remains the envy of the world.
Separation of church and state is a uniquely American invention. It has served us well, and will continue to serve us well. I will work to see that it does so.