Being a member of a religious minority group, one that is not highly regarded by the majority of Americans, I have a strong interest in the separation of church and state. In looking at all the legislation being proposed and sometimes passed across all 50 states – creationism, prayers in school and city councils, laws outlawing Sharia, abortion, school vouchers, etc. – , there are times when it becomes rather discouraging and all to easy to be pessimistic about the state of the “wall of separation”. However, I would be wrong in feeling this way.

Looking only on the problems and challenges can give one a biased view of reality. It is natural to focus on the problems because that is where our attention needs to be in order to prevent or correct bad laws and practices that would dismantle this wall. However, while doing so it is important that we also look at and acknowledge the many victories that have also been won.

With this in mind, I thought it would be good idea to go over just a few of the many victories attained over the last year in regards to maintaining the wall. So, here are a few victories pulled from different news outlook and from the Americans United For Separation of Church and State’s magazine “Church and State”. In no particular order, they are:

– The Supreme Court’s decision on DOMA. While not a complete victory it did accomplish a much needed and very important first step by eliminating discrimination based on sexual orientation on the federal level. This now needs to be extended to the states, and given what the polls show in regards to American’s views on homosexuality and marriage, this will happen. It will take time and work, but it will happen.

– The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee voted 14 – 8 against an amendment that would have allowed states to use federal funds for vouchers.

– South Carolina’s Senate rejected a measure that would have given tax credits for donations to scholarships meant to send students to private, and overwhelmingly religious, schools. It also would have given $4,000 tax deductions to parents for tuition at private schools and $2,000 for home schooling costs. It was a decisive vote of 23 – 18 against this proposal with nine Republicans voting against it.

– The parents who prayed over their daughter until she was dead instead of taking her to the doctor were properly convicted of negligent homicide by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. It was a very firm 6 – 1 decision.

– Creationists failed, again. Eight states that had bills supporting creationism being sneaked back into the schools were defeated.

— Arizona’s “academic freedom” bill that would have targeted subjects such as biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and cloning died in committee.

— Colorado’s bill was similar to that of Arizona’s both in content and in fate. It too died in committee.

— Indiana considered and rejected a bill that would have compelled teachers to “help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the strengths and weaknesses of conclusions and theories being presented in a course being taught by a teacher.” It too never made it out of committee.

— Missouri’s bill that would have required that both intelligent design and evolution be taught as equal also died in committee.

— Montana’s bill requiring schools to encourage “critical thinking regarding controversial scientific theories”, like its siblings in the other states, died in committee.

— Oklahoma’s bill also required teachers to encourage critical thinking and to look at both the strengths and weaknesses in regards to certain scientific theories. This one actually managed to crawl out of committee, but never received a vote on the floor.

— Texas, of course, had a bill that would have forbade colleges and universities from discriminating in regards to employment or academic position anyone who supported research relating to “the theory of intelligent design or other alternative theories of the origin and development of organisms.” It too never made it out of committee.

— Virginia’s bill would have given students a religious exemption from completing or participating in “academic assignments or education presentations.” Again, failed in committee.

– “A public school in South Bristol, Maine, cancelled a prayer that was to be included in a maritime – themed event after receiving a complaint from Americans United.”

– In Oklahoma a public high school student, Gage Pulliam, protested the Ten Commandments display at his school. School officials decided to remove the displays rather than fight a losing case.

– “A New Hampshire state court has struck down a tax-credit scheme that funds religious schools.”

— A Wisconsin school district that was holding high school graduation ceremonies in churches lost their case when the Seventh Circuit federal appellate court ruled against them.

— A school district near Detroit has ended the practice of coach involvement in pre-game prayers before high school football games.

Many more cases and examples could be listed, but this should suffice to show that while the wall of separation may get battered every now and again it is still very much standing. This is even more evident in the number of people and organizations that work hard to defend this American innovation. Organizations such as:

– Americans United, whose executive director is Barry Lynn, an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ.



– Texas Freedom Foundation, a non partisan, grassroots organization consisting of over 60,000 religious and community leaders.

– Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, who carry on the work of Roger Williams, who founded the Baptist Church in America, in fighting for a strong wall of separation between church and state.

– American Civil Liberties Union, which has fought for the separation of church and state as well as protecting other civil liberties since 1920.



While there have been, currently are, and will continue to be attacks on the whole idea of separation of church and state, the wall still maintains. In fact, I would argue that it is even stronger and higher today than 60 years ago when states still freely supported religions in various ways. There have been defeats, but nothing that cannot be changed or remedied, and nothing that has destroyed this wall.

So, on this July 4th let us remember a distinctly American creation – the Separation of Church and State. Long may the wall stand.