In God We Trust?

“We the people…”

A recent Texas judicial decision forbidding any reference to religion during a high school commencement ceremony was heralded by those who favor separation of church and state as a successful defense of the United States Constitution. The decision, later vacated, was decried by others as a restriction on the right of free speech. The judges’ ruling stated that any mention of religion would bring irreparable harm to the plaintiff in the case. 

While the freedom of religion is often misunderstood by those who advocate its restriction in public affairs due to their lack of reading and understanding the debate on the Constitution by the framers and the founders, perhaps it would be better for the nation financially if the government was indeed completely severed from any religious connection.

A thumbnail sketch of such a scenario would seem to be in order to understand what said nation would resemble. In these harsh economic times, the path to balance the cost of government perhaps should begin at the altar of religion.

The first budgetary savings would come from eliminating the costs involved with the paid chaplains for both the House and the Senate. The need for chaplains in the military would also continue the savings. The adage of there being no atheists in foxholes may be true, but the government will not be paying the costs of religious comfort for those who are putting their lives on the line to protect our freedoms. Additionally, there would be cost savings by eliminating the need for national military cemeteries. Without a religious context of a life after death, there is no need for the government to pay for maintaining what would be essentially open tracts of land.

Productivity in the government would improve as there would be no need for scheduling around Sundays and holidays. A full seven day work week for all government employees, including Congress, could be the norm. Overtime pay is often calculated for working weekends and holiday; no religious context thus gives no need for overtime holiday pay. The government could work through Thanksgiving – with no religious connection, who are we giving thanks to? The same with the Christmas holidays, or the winter holiday as it has become known as.

The court system would benefit greatly from the elimination of government religious affiliations. They could restrict themselves to only matters of written contract law. Much of the legal descriptions of crimes – murder, theft, perjury and such – are based upon the Judeo-Christian principles, as dictated by the Ten Commandments. Removing that religious context affords no legal rationale for calling such acts crimes. There may be moral imperatives associated with such conduct, but no official government reasoning. As the advocates of separation of church and state continually remind us, morality should not be a part of the official equation.

The freedom of religion was constructed to avoid what the founding fathers saw as the corruption of a government that forced a sole religion – in this case the Church of England – upon the people. Avoiding government mandated allegiance to religion was their intent. Those who warn of their fears of an  encroachment of religion into the government are missing the bigger issues. The government should not mandate or impose a religious association, but neither should it shy away from the necessity of religious precepts and principles in the forming and performance of its legal authority to protect and defend the citizens of the United States.

In God We Trust.