In recent election cycles, much has been made of the phenomenon of partisanship. Politicians on either side of the aisle as well as the media have laid a variety of societal ills at the feet of the demon named “Partisan Rancor.” If only there were less partisanship, less political division, the pundits say, America would be able to address the all the problems it currently faces.
This view of American politics is little more than wishful thinking; the electorate is composed of individuals, and individuals will always have disagreements with one another. It is the genius of the American political system that allows people to do precisely that, yet in a way that affords everyone a voice in the process. Open, vocal disagreement is a vital part of the American tradition of self-government.
On the other hand, the critics of partisanship are not all wrong when they decry the current political climate. While disagreements over issues and policies are good and necessary, conflict expressed as personal attacks or smear campaigns both cheapen public discourse and alienate voters. The public’s cynical views on politics and lackluster voter turnout can be attributed to such gutter politics.
A sense of unity among Americans is indeed called for; not a feel-good “go along to get along” sentiment that merely papers over the very real divides in the American societal landscape, but a sense of purpose that stems from something deeper.
The source of such unity is the Judeo-Christian ethic that served as the inspiration for America’s founding and undergirds our republic today. There is an important distinction to be made here; to claim that this nation was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles is not to say that the United States of America was founded upon the Christian religion. Many of the Founders had fled Europe to escape the tyranny of theocracy; America was designed to be different. In fact, prior to the American Revolution, Roger Williams founded the colony of Rhode Island on the precept of religious freedom.
The Founders rightly saw that when government and religion were conjoined, both institutions became corrupt and bereft of purpose. The church became overly occupied with worldly matters and so neglected its spiritual duties, while kings saw fit to cloak their actions in spiritual language, raising themselves above reproach and opening the door to tyranny.
However, the Founders also recognized that liberty was a gift from God, and it is upon this principle that they made their case for independence and later nationhood. To them, “created in the image of God” meant that individuals were gifted with the capacity to reason and determine their own destinies; kings and governments had no right to strip citizens of their free will or constrain them from worshiping God as they chose.
It is for this reason that the First Amendment of the Constitution both enumerates the right to the free exercise of religion while prohibiting government from meddling in religious affairs. Because of this stipulation, religious practice was able to flourish in America. In 1831, when young Alexis de Tocqueville traveled across the young nation in an attempt to understand it, he was amazed to find that the vibrant religiosity common in American society was not mandated or enforced by the government; rather, it sprang up from the people as a spontaneous outpouring of spiritual devotion. Americans counted themselves religious devotees because they wanted to worship God.
Upon this realization, Tocqueville made the observation that in America, religious freedom was closely linked to the other freedoms enjoyed by the populace. According to Tocqueville,
“When there is no longer any principle of authority in religion any more than in politics… the constant agitation of all surrounding things alarms and exhausts them. As everything is at sea in the sphere of the mind, they determine at least that the mechanism of society shall be firm and fixed; and as they cannot resume their ancient belief, they assume a master…I am inclined to think that if faith be wanting in [man], he must be subject; and if he be free, he must believe.
Furthermore, Tocqueville observed that though America was composed of many diverse groups, it nonetheless remained a unified nation. He reasoned that the multitude of social functions and organizations such as churches, clubs, charitable organizations, and civic groups helped knit the various subsections of American society together as a whole.
In much the same fashion, Americans today have a powerful tool with which we can reforge our national unity: the principles upon which this nation was founded and the source for those beliefs. The Founding Fathers drew from the Judeo-Christian ethic in order to enunciate our “inalienable rights”—the right to govern ourselves, the right to worship freely, the right to protect our loved ones and our belongings.
These God-given rights unite all Americans of all creeds and from all walks of life, whether they be Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, or irreligious. The ideals enumerated in the Constitution—which stem from the Judeo-Christian tradition—are the source of American nationalism.
When we use our currency (which displays the words “In God We Trust”), recite the Pledge of Allegiance, or even engage in the act of free speech, we are reinforcing the national myth that makes us whole. These actions connect the abstract ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to a concrete reality: one nation, under God, indivisible.
Organizations such as the ACLU ignore Tocqueville’s prescient words above when they attempt to chip away at the Judeo-Christian ethic that is the underpinning of American liberty. Uniting on the basis of that underpinning cannot fix all our problems overnight, but it is an excellent point upon which to re-open political dialogue in America. In order to tackle the challenges that lie ahead, it is essential that we remind ourselves and one another that no matter our disagreements, we enjoy the freedom to disagree for one reason: it was given to us by God.
