What most accurately characterizes the relationship between church and state in post-revolutionary America?

Answer 1

First to clarify a few simple definitions, as the modern meaning of "church and state" as defined today has a completely different meaning of what it did back in post-revolutionary America. Today the phrase has been defined to mean the prohibition of any religious faith to have an influence on or in the government, its original intent and meaning was to prevent the government from controlling or influencing the free exercise of religion or religious expression.

The now famous line fragment from then President Thomas Jefferson's reply letter to the Danbury Baptists dated Jan 1, 1802 which reads "thus building a wall of separation between Church and State" was given as an assurance to the Danbury Baptists that the government will not appoint a national denomination or church or in any way attempt to pass legislation that would infringe on their right to free expression of their religious beliefs. This is clearly shown by the fact that the entirety of the passage that ends with that phrase has President Jefferson repeating a portion of the 1st Amendment of the Constitution as reassurance.

Quoted here:

'Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature would "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State. '

To continue, the relationship between church and state in post-revolutionary America was very strong. The majority of the founding fathers of the Constitution and the revolution were ordained ministers of Christianity. Long prayer sessions were held in the Capitol buildings before sessions of Congress. Congress officially printed America's first Bible. The education system of our schools used The Bible as its textbook for many years. Official church services and sermons were held in the Capitol buildings.

The New England Primer was the first textbook ever printed in America and was used to teach reading and Bible lessons in our schools until the twentieth century. In fact, many of the Founding Fathers and their children learned to read from The New England Primer.

Even a casual examination of the Federalist Papers, the exhaustive collection of letters and documents exchanged by the signers of the Constitution of the United States, The Declaration of Independence, and the overwhelming volume of Congressional transcripts that exist show clearly that a very close relationship between the church and state existed in post-revolutionary America.

Final note. Our 1st Constitutional Amendment "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.," The phrase "establishment of religion" was clearly understood at the time the amendment was written to mean "a denomination of Christianity" or an "institution of Christianity" to prevent a national church from being declared, which was a concern of many that the United States would follow appoint a national denomination as England has done with the Church of England. It was not meant to mean "a faith or religious system" as modern history has defined it.

While post-revolutionary America's leaders and fathers were deeply religious men, they understood the need to have God in government, but not government in the business of God. Our laws and statues are heavily influenced by their belief in God and our "certain unalienable rights" endowed by our Creator.