Dear Editor,

The first amendment states that “congress shall make no law respecting an establishment or religion or prohibit the free practice thereof.” Despite this there appears to be a large false understanding that the United States is a “Christian nation.” I believe that religion has no place in our government. Though the U.S. holds the most christians compared to ANY other country, it is not even close to 100% of the population, Christians make up about 65% of the American population but the other 35% still exists and deserves a voice. Unfortunately the U.S. government is majority made up of christians and that is a major problem, here's why.

Tis a well known fact that most government officials identify themselves as Christian, take for example, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, John F. Kennedy, John Adams, both George Bushes, and even George Washington.(pg. 2 wae) That is not even close to naming all Christian presidents, and I'm not even including the judicial and legislative branch. Did you know that almost all American presidents have gone to st. John's church in Washington D.C. despite the safeguards put in place by the first amendment, christians have overrun our government and are favoring the people of their faith more than the rest of the population.

“But, what's so wrong with the United States being run by Christians”? That’s a fair question, but it doesn’t really have a direct answer. There are many issues with it but the main one being unfair treatment in courts. There have been many accounts where a person who mentions being religious in their trial gets treated better than someone who doesn't. Infact, of the 115 justices who have been appointed to the court, 91 have been Christian.(pg. 2 BD2412) In fact even the Supreme Court has recognized that the Free Exercise Clause “protects religious observers against unequal treatment”(pg. 2 unknown)

My point is, religion has no place in our government. I mean it could just be speculation but I see a riot or civil war in the next 15 years. But all in all, a It needs to leave before something bad happens. As long as we are all aware of what's happening and the United States remains a free nation, we might just have a chance.

Works cited

1.wae, jim. “Religious Affiliations of Presidents of the United States.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Dec. 2004, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_affiliations_of_presidents_of_the_United_States. 

2.BD2412. “Demographics of the Supreme Court of the United States.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Sep. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States#Religion. 

3.unknown. “Religious Disqualification.” Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-1/religious-disqualification.