Religious Liberty for All

The Great Wall America Built is Eroding

Imagine a Sunday at the neighborhood dog park.
Golden retrievers are chasing Frisbees, Rabbi Cohen’s dachshund is stealing Father O’Malley’s tennis ball, and Aisha’s greyhound is politely refusing the bacon-flavored treats. Somehow, the humans keep it civil, nobody tries to pass an “Official Dogma of Fetch” rule or demands a loyalty oath before the poop bag dispenser. That easy coexistence is precisely what the Constitution’s separation of church and state was meant to guarantee for the entire country: a public space where every faith (and none) can romp without stepping in anyone else’s creed.

How the Wall Got Built

When Thomas Jefferson assured Connecticut’s Danbury Baptists in 1802 that the First Amendment had erected “a wall of separation between church and state,” he was channeling lessons the Founders knew by heart: Europe’s religious wars were bloody, expensive, and terrible for business, James Madison whose Baptist neighbors had been jailed for unlicensed preaching helped translate that ideal into the Establishment Clause.

A century and a half later, the Supreme Court quoted Jefferson’s phrase in Everson v. Board of Education (1947), making clear that government must remain neutral “between religion and irreligion.” The decision didn’t ban religion from public life; it simply barred Uncle Sam from picking favorites

1. Colonial Chaos & Compulsory Tithes - In 18th-century Virginia, you could be fined or jailed if you skipped Anglican services, and dissenters of all stripes still had to pay church taxes. Baptist ministers were dunked in rivers for laughs, then hauled off to jail for unlicensed preaching. Up in Massachusetts, taxpayers propped up Congregational churches until 1833.

2. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786) - Thomas Jefferson drafted it; James Madison muscled it through. The statute disestablished the Church of England in Virginia and proclaimed that “no man shall be compelled…to support any religious worship.” Jefferson was so proud he had the law chiseled onto his headstone right above “Father of the University of Virginia,” but below “Author of a Really Snazzy Library.”

3. From Statehouse to Constitution - At the 1787 Convention, Madison carried those Virginian lessons into the First Amendment, banning any national establishment of religion while protecting free exercise. Fourteen years later, President Jefferson assured worried Baptists that the amendment had erected that famous “wall of separation between church and state.”

4. Supreme Court Mortar - Reynolds v. United States (1878) invoked the wall; Everson v. Board of Education (1947) made it binding on the states, insisting government stay neutral “between religion and irreligion.” Think of Everson as the legal equivalent of adding extra rebar after an earthquake test.

What’s Pressing on the Wall Today

Fast-forward to 2025, and that wall is getting more graffiti than a highway overpass:

• Ten Commandments Wallpaper - Louisiana’s 2024 law forcing the Decalogue into every classroom is now on the Fifth Circuit’s docket and on taxpayers’ credit card bill.

• Bible By Decree - Oklahoma’s schools chief ordered Bibles into lesson plans and even tried to broadcast a prayer-soaked video to every student. Parents sued; the state supreme court hit “mute” for now.

• Ten Commandments Mania. Legislators in at least 15 states have pushed bills to post the Decalogue in every classroom, hoping a friendlier Court will bless the move. Louisiana’s version is already in federal appeals court after a judge said it likely violates the First Amendment.

• Mandatory Bible Classes - Oklahoma’s top education official ordered schools to “teach from the Bible,” prompting two lawsuits from parents of multiple faiths (and none) who call the mandate unconstitutional.

• A New “Religious Liberty Commission.” On May 1st President Trump created a panel heavy on televangelists and light on religious diversity; this could become a taxpayer-funded megaphone for Christian nationalism.

None of this is theoretical. If your child is Hindu, Sikh, humanist, or just a Methodist who thinks the government should stay out of Sunday school, a classroom wall that doubles as a pulpit turns them into a captive congregation.

Why Enforcement Still Matters for Believers and Skeptics

1. Minority Faiths Aren’t Optional Extras - When the state picks a winner, everyone else becomes the away team. Ask the 200+ religious traditions (and the gleeful atheists) who’d rather not be captive congregants during homeroom.

2. Politics + Pulpits = Holy Wars Lite - History shows that once lawmakers weaponize: When the State Picks a Winner, Everyone Else Becomes the Away #Teamscripture, policy debates turn into theological excommunications. The Establishment Clause keeps pothole funding arguments from morphing into crusades.

3. Genuine Faith Thrives on Freedom - Coercion is lousy evangelism. States with mandated piety often see lower voluntary worship; apparently, nobody likes being love-bombed by statute.

4. The Legal Tripwire Is Real - Engel v. Vitale (1962) nixed school-sponsored prayer; Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) created the “Lemon test” for government neutrality; Kennedy v. Bremerton (2022) blurred that line but also reminded schools how costly litigation can be Coach Kennedy’s old district is still tallying fees.

5. Protecting Religion from Politicians - A preacher once said, “When you mix politics and religion, you get politics.” Keeping the state out of sanctuaries prevents faith from becoming just another campaign prop (collect four hymns, get a yard sign free).

6. Your Wallet Will Thank You - Every unconstitutional display yanked down by a court comes with attorney fees the public must cover money that could’ve resurfaced the playground basketball court (where everyone actually does pray for a last-second shot).

Neighborly Action Items

• Watch! Dog the Dog Park. Track local bills with alerts from Americans United or the ACLU. If you see a “One True Frisbee” proposal, bark politely.

• Write Like You’re Lending Sugar. School boards listen better to calm neighbors than to flaming-email dragons. “Hey friend, let’s keep class time Algebra-flavored, not Revelation-spiced,” usually works.

• Vote as though the Wall were a Fence Around Your Tomato Plants, because it is. Nothing ruins a summer BLT faster than someone else’s theology deciding which veggies you can grow.

Separation of church and state isn’t anti-religious; it’s pro-liberty, and it keeps our metaphorical dog park free of leash laws written in stone tablets. Let’s keep that wall sturdy, so every pup (and person) can chase their idea of ultimate Frisbee bliss.