The American experience of religious disestablishment and pluralism

Abstract

In 1791, the Founding Fathers of the United States added the First Amendment to the Constitution saying that the nation would have no established religion. This was a new experiment in Church-State relations. The writers of the amendment were fearful of concentrations of power. We now know that the First Amendment had a positive, not a negative effect on religious institutions. In the past two centuries, trials of the First Amendment arose due to issues over postal service on Sunday, religious polygamy, Sunday closing laws for businesses, and prayer in public schools. The American experience shows that disestablishment of religion does not weaken religious institutions, but rather strengthens them. It is a principle that is constantly being challenged by groups with strong religious beliefs who strive for some form of establishment. © 2006 Social Compass.