Conversation so far:
what was the relationship between churches and governments in seventeenth-century New England
New England Puritans instituted religious establishments—arrangements by which the civil government favored one church and penalized anyone who dissented from its teachings.
What were the reasons for the relationship between churches and governments in seventeenth century New England
Most Protestants and Catholics believed that these close alliances between temporal and spiritual powers benefited both the church and the state by promoting individual morality, social harmony, and political stability.
Is the relationship of chuch and governments from the seventeenth century still enforced
The first amendment in the Constitution states Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. interpreted as separation of church and state.
Why the change from the church and government relationship that existed in the seventeenth century
The main reason for opposition of the relationship between church and government was to terminate religious persecution of any sort.

Question: Did a politician start the idea
Self-contained rewrite: Did a politician start the idea of the separation between church and government