All posts tagged: Declaration of Independence

What the Declaration of Independence does – and doesn’t – say about God

What the Declaration of Independence does – and doesn’t – say about God

Published by Sam Flores

(The Conversation) — On the Fourth of July 1776, the congressional delegates in Philadelphia adopted the Declaration of Independence, then ordered that it be widely “proclaimed.” Couriers carried the printed version by stagecoach and horseback to every colony, where officials posted it and newspapers circulated it. But the declaration was also meant to be read aloud. Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft has marks signaling where the reader should pause briefly, or take a longer pause. And there were ceremonial public readings: first in Philadelphia and then in town squares, courthouses, churches and taverns up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Not everyone listening would have agreed with the declaration, and religion was one dividing point. Loyalists who sided with England and the official Church of England dissented on both spiritual and political grounds. Two-thirds of its ministers left for England after the Revolution began. Members of the historic pacifist churches like the Quakers, the Mennonites and the Brethren had tough choices to make after hearing the declaration’s call to arms. Even some who clearly sided with the …

Faith groups seek out founding documents in bid to rescue democracy

Faith groups seek out founding documents in bid to rescue democracy

Published by Sam Flores

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (RNS) — The prompt for the after-dinner discussion was a familiar phrase: “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” Some 90 members of nine religious congregations gathered in the fellowship of hall of University Baptist Church recently to begin a study of the Declaration, with its foundational claim that “all men are created equal.” They are just one of some 30 interfaith “clusters” in 16 states participating in Faith250, a new initiative intended to mark the country’s 250th anniversary, or semiquincentennial, this July 4th. These clusters are now pouring over “America’s sacred texts” as part of a mission to revive democratic values they feel have been eroding. “People are really concerned about what’s happening in our democracy,” said Meg Peery McLaughlin, the co-pastor of University Presbyterian Church and a program organizer. “They have been hungry for a place to bring their concerns about what’s happening and encounter what our shared faith may have to say to it.“ In addition to the Declaration of Independence, the faith clusters will study other foundational texts …

White House’s religious liberty push is exactly what James Madison feared

White House’s religious liberty push is exactly what James Madison feared

Published by Sam Flores

(The Conversation) — As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, debates about religious freedom continue to occupy the center of American public life. Since taking office for a second time, the Trump administration has issued a number of executive orders on religion that raise new questions about religious freedom. On May 1, 2025, the administration established the Religious Liberty Commission. The commission will advise the White House on policies intended to protect the free exercise of religion and to prevent discrimination against people of faith by the federal government. The administration has also issued executive orders to “eradicate anti-Christian bias” and to broaden protections against religious discrimination across federal agencies. Some scholars argue that these actions signal a broad effort to reshape how religious freedom is interpreted and practiced, with a pronounced emphasis on favoring Christianity. Debates over religion in public life are not new. As a scholar of religious freedom, I have long been interested in how the early debates about religious freedom at the nation’s founding can …