Maintain Separation of Church and State

Recently, I heard a misinformed politician refer to America as a “Christian Nation” as if this were fact. But, in fact, America was founded on the principle of religious freedom with a key idea being that religion should not be injected into government or government into religion. This is the true and original American nation.

Our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States make no reference to Christianity. Many of the founding fathers were Deists, not Christians. When making reference to the Creator, Lord, or God, they spoke in a generic sense not associated with any specific religious group or faction.

The problem with countries that identify themselves as “religious” is that they’re frequently associated with social isolation, persecution, and murder within and beyond their borders. These things, our founding fathers abhorred and our many immigrant citizens escaped to come here in pursuit of the freedom we promised.

By signing this petition, I am urging U.S. politicians to acknowledge that America belongs to a diverse group of citizens with the right to their own religious affiliation. America is not a “Christian Nation” but a country that respects all of its members. The falsehood proposed by some of today’s politicians that Americans belong to, or ought to belong to a particular religion, is, in my opinion, dangerous, inaccurate, and counter to the premise on which this nation was founded. Further, my signature confirms that I will not vote for any office seeker who tries to promote a narrow religious view on the citizenry of what seems to be an increasingly chauvinistic governance.