Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
History and Religion

Establishment Clause

Select a Category Buddhism Christianity Daoism Hinduism Indigenous religions Islam Judaism Mysticism New Age Origins of religion Paganism Popes Popular Religious Movements Protestantism Psychology and religion Religion and current events Religion and folklore Religion and News Media Religion and politics Religious Art and Music Religious Freedom Religious mistakes Religious philosophy Religious scriptures Religious Violence science and religion Spiritualism Technology and religion The Catholic Church The Dalai Lama The Reformation Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022

July 2026

July 03, 2026

Is ‘Separation of Church and State’ Really a Myth?

Beware the Religious Liberty Commission Recently, President Trump's Religious Liberty Commission issued a report that...

February 2026

February 22, 2026

MAGA’s Assault on Religious Liberty

MAGA's assault on religious liberty is being under-covered in news media, but it's real. President...

January 2026

January 01, 2026

Bible vs. Quran: The Truth About U.S. Oaths

Does taking an oath of office in the U.S. require placing a hand on a...

December 2025

December 15, 2025

The Reindeer Rule: Christmas and the Constitution

The "reindeer rule" is an informal name given to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling about...

June 2025

June 26, 2025

The Ten Commandments: Back to School?

The crusade to enshrine the Ten Commandments in U.S. public schools reached a couple of...

June 03, 2025

U.S. Supreme Court Blocks Catholic Charter School

A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling has stopped Oklahoma's plan to fund a Catholic charter...

April 2025

April 14, 2025

Religion in Public Schools Hurts Religion (and Schools)

Religion in public schools has been a hot topic in the U.S. for decades. It...

February 2025

February 09, 2025

Madison, Bush, Trump and Religious Freedom

Most Americans might agree that religious freedom is a cornerstone of American liberty. Yet we...

July 2024

July 10, 2024

Religious Liberty and Josh Hawley

Religious Liberty and Josh Hawley don't mix. The Republican U.S. Senator from Missouri has made...

June 2024

June 26, 2024

What’s Wrong With the Louisiana Ten Commandments Law

The Louisiana Ten Commandments bill I wrote about last month has been signed into law...

May 2024

May 30, 2024

Florida Embeds Christian Nationalism in School

The Florida Department of Education has been directing middle school and high school teachers to...

May 23, 2024

The Appeal to Heaven Flag and Why It’s Controversial

The Appeal to Heaven Flag, also called the Pine Tree Flag, is a bit of...

May 19, 2024

Louisiana Passes a Ten Commandments in Public Schools Bill

The Louisiana legislature just passed a bill mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in...

May 17, 2024

Why It’s Hard to Separate Church and State

The relationship of church and state is one of the vexing issues of our time. ...

February 2024

February 26, 2024

Frozen Zygotes and the Middle Way of Compassion

The recent consternation about frozen zygotes, in vitro fertilization and "fertilized egg personhood" laws made...

January 2024

January 02, 2024

Christian Public Schools in the U.S. ?

Will there be Christian public schools in the U.S.? Recently Heidi Przybyla reported for Politico...

November 2023

November 19, 2023

The Wall of Separation Has Two Sides

The wall of separation between church and state is in the news again. Recently Rep....

November 06, 2023

Is “In God We Trust” Religious or Patriotic?

A new law in Louisiana requires posting "In God We Trust" in every classroom in...

October 2023

October 22, 2023

Albert Einstein and Spinoza’s God

Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) often was asked if he believed in God....

September 2023

September 18, 2023

Faith and Football: What’s the Deal With Prayers Before Games?

What's the deal with prayers before football games? I don't know when it became the...

September 03, 2023

Kennedy v. Bremerton: The Praying Coach Returns

On Friday night, September 1, 2023, an event happened that will be a footnote in...

August 2023

August 20, 2023

Oklahoma Approves a Religious Charter School

Last month, the state of Oklahoma approved the first religious charter school in the nation....

April 2023

April 22, 2023

Do the Ten Commandments Belong in Public School Classrooms?

The Texas Senate has passed a bill that mandates posting the Ten Commandments in every...

November 2022

November 23, 2022

Arguments Against the Wall of Separation Between Church and State

I've written a number of columns looking at issues involving religion and the U.S. Constitution....

November 21, 2022

Jefferson’s Wall of Separation Between Church and State

There is no more controversial phrase in U.S. history than Thomas Jefferson's "wall of separation...

November 18, 2022

Thomas Jefferson v. Establishment of Religion

In the 18th century establishment of religion, or designating an official state religion, was common...

November 16, 2022

James Madison and Religious Freedom

Among the U.S. founding fathers, nobody cared more about religious freedom than James Madison. Madison...

November 10, 2022

When the U.S. Supreme Court Didn’t Ban School Prayer

It has been sixty years since a U.S. Supreme Court decision ended class recitations of...

Related posts from The Religious History Nerd

Family

I Watched the Towers Fall. Here's What You...

The Religious History Nerd

Family

Barring Mamdani From 9/11 Lets the Enemy Win

The Religious History Nerd

Family

The President and the Pope: An Unprecedented Rift

The Religious History Nerd

Family

What Was the Avignon Papacy and Why Is...

The Religious History Nerd

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos