Published 13 days ago • loading... • Updated 10 days ago
From Augustine to Jefferson, the Idea of Separating Church and State Has Deep Religious and Secular Roots
The Trump administration's Religious Liberty Commission issued a report on June 26, 2026, claiming religious freedom in the U.S. is under attack.
The phrase 'a wall of separation between church and state' was used by justices and originally came from Thomas Jefferson's 1802 letter to Baptist churches in Connecticut.
Religious and secular thinkers have historically promoted the separation of spiritual and secular authorities to benefit both religion and government.
Some religious groups, such as Baptists, support church-state separation to protect religious freedom.