Andrew L. Seidel

Constitutional Attorney, Freedom From Religion Foundation

The good people of Ozark have been whipped into a frenzy by tales of Christian persecution and myths of a War on Christmas. The heightened emotions and bunker mentality of those defending the Christmas cross seem to have wiped out one important fact: the cross violates the Constitution. Defending the cross is not defending your religion, it’s defending a violation of the First Amendment.

Every American, regardless of their religion, ought to be standing with the First Amendment, not against it. But Ozark residents are not.

So let’s take a breath. Forget for a moment local citizens asked the Freedom From Religion Foundation for help. Forget that many in the community are nonbelievers and not Christian, whatever the county is named. Let’s get back to basics. Let’s try to understand why the separation of state and church is important to all Americans.

That “wall of separation” between state and church is an American original. The idea was floating around in the Enlightenment, but it was first implemented in the American Experiment. It’s right there in the first words of our Constitution: “We the people.” Those words are poetic, but also declare that power comes from people, not gods. That was revolutionary. America invented the separation of state and church, and we ought to be proud of that fact.

American pride may not change minds in Ozark. But state-church separation also unifies our diverse nation. Religion is a divisive force. In its most divisive form, religion claims to be absolutely certain about ultimate truths while simultaneously admitting that faith, not evidence, is required to hold that belief. That is a recipe for discord and division. The mob atmosphere in Ozark proves the point.

Religion’s divisiveness is one reason our founders chose to separate it from our government. Equality is another reason. Without a strict separation of state and church, one religion is going to be favored. Which should it be? Odds are, it’s not going to be yours. Christianity? Which branch? Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Catholics, evangelicals, Christian scientists? The only solution is for the government to remain absolutely neutral on religious issues. None are favored, none are persecuted, all are equal.

Liberty — a limited government — also requires a secular government. Politicians occupy an office. That office is given certain powers and prohibited from anything else. Just like politicians can't use the office to promote their personal business and enrich themselves, they can’t abuse a public office to promote their personal religion. Our government simply does not have any religious power. In the words of Alexander Hamilton, our government, even the president, has “no particle of spiritual jurisdiction.”

Religion also benefits from state-church separation. James Madison put this nicely: “Religion and government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together.” If religion wants to get involved in the government, the government is going to get involved in religion. There is no such thing as a one-way wall.

Most importantly, the separation guarantees religious freedom. There is no freedom of religion without a government that is free from religion. True religious freedom can only exist under a secular government.

The same government that can impose your religion on others, can impose a different religion on you. Freedom, liberty, equality, unity and our Constitution all demand better. So should the citizens of Ozark.