Separation of Church and State

Daniel Stanaj

Steven Berg

History 151

11/29/2018
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Daniel Stanaj

Steven Berg

History 151

11/29/2018

Separation of Church and State

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the separation of church and state as, “the

separation of religion and government mandated under the establishment clause and the free

exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution that forbids governmental establishment or preference

of a religion and that preserves religious freedom from governmental intrusion”.​1

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary is stating that the government will not recognize any religion

and the law will always be upheld and the government will remain secular. In the 1700s as a

new form of intellectualism was being formed on the back of the enlightenment era and two

specific authors eventually influenced the separation of church and state as a legitimate

proposal for socio-political ideology, John Locke 2​​ and Roger Williams 3​​ . As time would move

on in the modern setting people have grown acclimated to the notions of separation of church

and state although presently it is enjoyed throughout the most of the western world it’s

continued contribution is still influencing many countries in the world today that have an

official state religion. The birth, impact and importance of the separation of church and state is

one of the most fundamental liberties that humans in the modern world can now experience.

Many european settlers came to the British North American colonies because many
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citizens of these European nations were persecuted by these nations at this given time 4​​ . For

example John Ogilvie was a Jesuit and he was under constant surveillance by Scotland and

England ultimately he was sentenced to death by hanging and mutilation by disembowelment 4​​ .

Another example would be, “On October 31, 1731, the Catholic ruler of Salzburg, Austria,

Archbishop Leopold von Firmian, issued an edict expelling as many as 20,000 Lutherans from

his principality” 4​​ . The severity of this expulsion was very fast for the poor being only 8 days

to leave and some of the more wealthy Lutherans could stay up to three months to sell their

property and leave within a reasonable fashion 4​​ . Many Lutherans died from just seeking

shelter during the winter times and many made new homes in the Netherlands and East Prussia
4​
. If the separation of church and state had been enacted during these times these people would

have not had to hide their religious freedoms and continued on living a more fruitful life but

sadly this is not the case and this would only be a fraction of the amount of people that had

died due to religious persecution. On February 5, 1631 a man named Roger Williams 3​​ founded

the Rhode Island colony on the basis of religious freedom, a man thinking ahead of his time,

was at once a minister of the church of england 3​​ but came to the americas to try to find refuge

for his ideas of freedom of religion and separation of church and state; in his perspective after

being a minister he concluded that, “forced worship stinks in God’s nostrils.” These principles

would eventually significantly influence the formation of the United States of America 3​​ .

While Roger Williams was not the only one to suggest individuals should have freedom

of religion and live in a state of secular government, he was the first to implement the idea in

an actual colony 3​​ that would later become a refuge for those seeking political protection from

persecution and discrimination 3​​ . While Roger Williams ideas was a contributing factor to the
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founding fathers John Locke also believed in the sovereignty in an individual to live under

society where a person can choose who to worship or not 2​​ . It is taken for granted that living in

America has freedom of religion and a separation of church and state but today there are many

nations where that is not prevalent for example in North Korea Kim Jong-un and his family are

by law to be worshipped and they are told he is a God incarnate in the flesh 5​​ and in Saudi

Arabia apostasy of Islam is punished by death 6​​ , a man in Saudi Arabia Ahmad Al-Shamri was

sentenced to death for uploading on social media that he did not believe in Islam and he did not

believe in the Prophet Mohammed after losing two court appeals the supreme court ultimately

allowed a death sentence for not believing in Islam and Mohammed which is their state

religion 6​​ . Going forward into the future Roger Williams and John Locke ideas will continue to

influence people and nations around the world while there are people who are persecuted for

what they believe in.

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Notes

1. See​ merriam-webster.com​ dictionary for the definition of separation of church and state.

2. See page 484 in ​John Locke and The Idea of Sovereignty​.

3. Refer to pages 1-4 in ​americaslibrary.gov​.

4. See the Library of Congress’s website in the work cited for further information.

5. See ​telegraph.co.uk​ for more information on the forced worship of Kim Jong-un.

6. See ​independent.co.uk ​regarding Ahmad Al-Shamri execution due to his atheism and in

unbelief in Mohammed.
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Works Cited

Bethan McKernan Beirut @mck_beth. “Man 'Sentenced to Death' for Being an Atheist by

Saudi Arabia.” ​The Independent,​ Independent Digital News and Media, 26 Apr. 2017,

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-man-sentenced-death-athe

ism-ahmad-al-shamri-hafar-al-batin-appeal-denied-a7703161.html.

John, et al. “Religion and the Founding of the American Republic America as a Religious

Refuge: The Seventeenth Century, Part 1.” ​Planning D-Day (April 2003) - Library of

Congress Information Bulletin,​ Victor, 4 June 1998,

www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel01.html.

“Roger Williams, Founder of Rhode Island, Arrived in Boston February 5, 1631 .” ​The First

March From Selma​, www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/colonial/jb_colonial_williams_4.html.

Ryall, Julian. “Kim Jong-Un 'No Longer Seen as God' as Worshipping North Koreans

'Place Their Faith Elsewhere'.” ​The Telegraph​, Telegraph Media Group, 16 Aug. 2017,

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/16/kim-jong-un-no-longer-seen-god-worshipping-n

orth-koreans-place/.

“Separation Of Church And State.” ​Merriam-Webster,​ Merriam-Webster,

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/separation of church and state.

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Singh, Raghuveer. “JOHN LOCKE AND THE IDEA OF SOVEREIGNTY.” The Indian

Journal of Political Science, vol. 20, no. 4, 1959, pp. 320–334. JSTOR, JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/42743527.