There are few issues in American society that have engendered more debate and confusion than the separation of church and state. People on both sides of the issue tend to regard this separation as a First Amendment right, yet it is found nowhere in the First Amendment. It is often hailed as being in the Federalist Papers, but it is not there either, nor does it appear in the U.S. Constitution or the Declaration of Independence. The words "separation of church and state" do not appear in our laws or in any official government documents, yet the idea of separating church and state originated with one of our nation's founders, Thomas Jefferson, and was championed by the Baptist Church. This paper will discuss the original meaning of the concept as the Danbury Baptists and Thomas Jefferson envisioned it, and today's reconceptualization of it as upheld by modern progressive Baptists, showing how the concept has evolved through the nation's history and through Baptist ideology to mean something very different than it did in the beginning.
The separation of church and state as the Danbury Baptists first conceived it was in reality a plea for freedom of religion rather than a separatist mentality. In the American colonies about to become a nation, the issue of religious freedom is a critical one due to the fact that the colonists have come from England, where the government dictates what religion its citizens will follow. The colonists have come to the New World to escape that religious oppression and establish a land of their own where religious freedom is the order of the day.[1] Here, there will be no government-enforced religion, and everyone will be allowed to worship as they choose, without interference from the government. This arrangement demonstrates that the colonists feel it is not the government's place to choose how they will worship or what religion they embrace. Moreover, they are passionate about inco...