The Freedom From Religion Foundation is pleased to report that a new Pew Research Center survey offers an encouraging reminder.

Despite the growing noise of Christian nationalism in American politics, most Americans still reject the idea of churches controlling government or politicians using religion to wield power. The findings arrive amid increasingly aggressive efforts by religious nationalists to blur the line between church and state, including a White House-backed Christian nationalist revival in the heart of Washington, D.C., this Sunday calling for a “rededication” of America as “One Nation under God.”

Most notably, Pew found that nearly eight out of 10 Americans say churches and other houses of worship should not endorse political candidates, and two-thirds say religion should stay out of day-to-day political matters altogether.

“That is a powerful reaffirmation of America’s secular Constitution,”says FFRF Co-President Dan Barker. “Most Americans still support the basic principle of separation between state and church — and are looking for greater separation between politics and religion.”

The survey also found that support for enforcing state/church separation remains stable, with a majority of Americans saying the government should continue enforcing it. Significantly, the already small share of Americans who want the government to stop enforcing the separation of religion and government has actually declined in recent years.

FFRF says this demonstrates that while Christian nationalist rhetoric may dominate headlines and political rallies, it does not represent mainstream public opinion.

“The loudest voices are not necessarily the majority,” notes Barker. “Most Americans still understand that secular government protects everyone’s religious freedom, including the freedom to not practice religion at all.”

The survey also shows growing public awareness of Christian nationalism itself. Nearly 60 percent of Americans now say they have heard at least something about the movement, a substantial increase from just two years ago. Importantly, unfavorable views of Christian nationalism significantly outweigh favorable ones, with only 10 percent favoring it.

FFRF posits that as more people see attempts to inject Christianity into public schools, lawmaking and government institutions, they’re becoming more aware of the threat it poses to democracy and religious liberty.

The survey also found that a majority of Americans believe conservative Christians have gone too far in trying to impose religious values through government and public schools. FFRF says that concern reflects growing public unease over attacks on secular education, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ equality and religious freedom.

At the same time, FFRF notes that the survey contains warning signs that cannot be ignored. Support for declaring Christianity the nation’s official religion has increased modestly in recent years, particularly among Republicans.

Still, the broader picture remains clear: Most Americans do not want a theocracy.

The survey’s findings show that the Constitution’s promise of secular government remains precious to the American public — an encouraging sign for everyone working to defend the constitutional principle of separation between state and church against an increasingly organized and well-funded Christian nationalist movement.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to defending the constitutional principle of separation between state and church and educating the public on matters relating to nontheism. With more than 41,000 members, FFRF is the largest association of freethinkers (atheists, agnostics and humanists) in North America. For more information, visit ffrf.org.

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