The framers codified at least two purposes when they enacted the Establishment Clause. Its first and most immediate purpose rested on the belief that a union of government and religion tends to destroy government and to degrade religion. Although frequently touted as a telic tool used by religious dissenters, the Establishment Clause is properly seen as an essential safeguard for the sanctity of religious belief. While government support of religion may, for the benefitted believer, have an initial appeal, this support ultimately leads to governmental influence and a concomitant erosion of religious tenets. Second, by enacting the Establishment Clause, the framers sought to prevent the political persecution of those people of a minority faith.
Religious faith can be a powerfully divisive force.
While our political system is founded on majoritarian principles, freedom of religious belief was deemed too important to be subject to the whim of the majority. The Establishment Clause prevents one's religious beliefs from being made relevant to one's standing in the political community. The Establishment Clause works together with the Free Exercise Clause to protect our religious freedom. As discussed above, the Establishment Clause prevents the majority from legislating preferential treatment for those of a particular religious faith. In turn, the Free Exercise clause insures that government will not unduly burden the practice of any religious faith. . . .