Godless Wednesday: 1/3 Of Americans Want A State Religion

A new poll indicates that as many as one-third of Americans are in support of completely ending the idea of separation of church and state and would favor (and strongly favor) "a Constitutional amendment which would make Christianity the official  religion of the United States." Happily, 52% would oppose (or strongly oppose) such a measure with those feeling strongly in opposition outnumbering  those feeling strongly in favor 34% to 18%.

The Huffington Post reports:

Although a large percentage of Americans said they would favor establishing a state religion, only 11 percent said they thought the U.S. Constitution allowed states to do so. Fifty-eight percent said they didn't think it was constitutional, and 31 percent said they were not sure. 

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment, which (among other things) prohibits the government from establishing an official religion, also applies to the states. 

Republicans were more likely than Democrats or independents to say that they would favor establishing Christianity as an official state religion, with 55 percent favoring it in their own state and 46 percent favoring a national constitutional amendment. 

The relatively high level of support for establishing Christianity as a state religion may be reflective of dissatisfaction with the current balance of religion and politics. Respondents to the poll were more likely to say that the U.S. has gone too far in keeping religion and government separate than they were to say religion and government are too mixed, by a 37-29 percent margin. Only 17 percent said that the country has struck a good balance in terms of the separation of church and state.

Sheeesh, even I would say that the country has struck a bad balance between church and state. The word "God" is on the currency, school children are expected to recite the word every day in school and atheists are still barred from holing public office in some states!

I'm glad that at least a clear majority of Americans do realize it would be unconstitutional to attempt to set up a state religion. It still baffles me as to why religious people always think that their particular view of "God" will be the one that gets to control the Government. What's to say that if you don't separate government and religion that the government will not be controlled by people who religious belief is different from yours, say Muslim or Hindu? What part of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment do they not understand?

Hat/tip to Joe.My.God