New Research on Church State Separation is Bad News

Americans United for the Separation of Church and State has an editorial in their latest newsletter talking about alarming trends and attitudes in America about religious freedom.

Here is an excerpt of the good news:

On the good news front, the survey shows that Americans clearly value
religious liberty and, generally speaking, want to see it broadly applied. A
whopping 97 percent agreed that the right to practice the religion of your
choice is either “essential” or “important.”

And here is some of the bad news:

Too many Americans also persist in believing that America is a “Christian
nation.” Indeed, the poll found that an astounding 65 percent of American adults
believe the Founders intended the United States to be a Christian nation, and 55
percent believe the Constitution actually establishes it as such. In fact, our
nation’s governing document is secular and says nothing about Christianity.
Instead, the Founders gave us a First Amendment that mandates the separation of
church and state.

I think progressives need to launch an all-out massive public educational effort to educate the public about the value of the separation of church and state. Most progressive causes are hindered by religious fundamentalism.

Send me your thoughts on the Americans United editorial.