In God We Trust: The American Prioritization of the Church Through the State Taylor Blinebury Edited by Sarah Band
Does the U.S. Constitution truly separate church from state, or does this doctrine merely act as a medium to prioritize religious interests over secular rights? Despite the foundational intention to keep church and state separate in the United States, contemporary America finds itself in a state in which the Constitution is regularly manipulated to benefit religious organizations at the cost of Equal Protection rights for other groups. Primarily analyzing the recent Supreme Court case Fulton v. the City of Philadelphia 141 S. Ct. 1868 (2021) and Covid-19 cases, the article discusses the prevalent influence of religion on constitutional interpretation and judicial decision-making. Further, the article explores the potential consequences for the rights of American women and LGBTQ+ citizens if such exploitation of the First Amendment continues. As the nation nears the precipice of irrevocable change for the constitutional rights to privacy, individual autonomy, and discriminatory protection, one must consider whether the bible will ultimately prevail over the Constitution.
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