These dissenters, particularly when in the minority, argued for the separation of Church and State. Though at the time of the Revolution some states had state-supported Churches, founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson argued against them, and eventually they shrank away. By the 1940s, a growing secularism sparked a series of challenges to Protestant-dominated government institutions and schools, and the thoroughly secular state, including secular public schools, became a reality. Our current society, with its influx of Catholic Hispanics, Buddhist and Hindu South Asians, and Muslim Arabs reflects a growing diversity of beliefs that now exist here. In such a society secularism, the gift of Christianity, maintains the neutrality of government institutions while protecting the right of individuals to believe as they choose.
Religion remains a volatile issue around the world and an emotional issue here in the United States.
But our religious tranquility is largely due to our government's theological neutrality. Our government supported institutions-including our public schools, must continue to remain neutral and secular.