Secularism Essay

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The United States of America is a country that was formed on different beliefs. These beliefs are what make America the diverse country it is today. One of the biggest debates in this country is the division between church and state. The United States is one of the few countries that believe in a separation between church and state. I believe that the United States is a secular nation with religious influences. We are not fully on one side of the argument, fully secular or fully religious, but blended to compliment both sides.
The United States is a secular nation because of the separation between church and state in public institutions. According to the National Secular Society, secularism is a principle that involves two basic propositions. The first is the strict separation of the state from religious institutions. The second is that people of different religions and beliefs are equal before the law. This means that in religious institutions there is a strict separation of state and people who are in a religion are equal as those who aren't under the law. The United States is a secular nation because there is a clear division between church and state. For example, the division between religious institutions and public institutions is very clear. Both institutions function differently and present different ideas but do not overlap each other in what they teach. You wouldn't learn only about religion in a public school as you would in a religious school that would focus on it more in the curriculum. With that being said, there are influences from each other in these places. For example, in public schools when kids say the Pledge of Allegiance they say “one nation under God.” Though its public school and public school strays aw...

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...r our currency. The motto “In God We Trust” wasn’t added until the 1860’s during the Civil War. If these situations in our country hadn’t become present when they did, would our country base its beliefs and freedoms in the hands of God?
Our country blends the lines of religion and secularism so much that it seems as though they aren’t separate at all. Religion affects our country, our rights and our freedoms in ways that can’t be seen through one set of lenses. It takes pulling apart layers and layers and going through our history and seeing how religion has impacted and influenced us to see that the United States of America is not solely a secular nation. We are so greatly reliant on religion that political arguments can’t be fought without the mention of God or the Bible at least once. America is not a secular nation but a nation that has a little of both sides.

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