"Between man and his God": The Future of American Religion from a Colonial Perspective

    Early America was an extremely religious country with a wealth of diverse opinions that influenced the social and political discourse of the day. Unlike every government in the world at that time, the United States refused to acknowledge a single church or denomination as its official expression of faith. In a series of letters written between Thomas Jefferson and the Danbury Baptist Association, one can find unlikely allies fighting to uphold America's promise of religious freedom. To an infant country that was still building its national character, this famous correspondence proves important.

    Opposites Attract

    The third president of the United States was by no means a heavily religious man. Thomas Jefferson did admire and even adhere to the moral teachings of Jesus, but he could not subject himself to faith in the supernatural aspect of the Jesus narrative. Christians believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed many signs and wonders, was crucified, buried, and then rose from the grave. Jefferson would agree that Jesus lived and taught essential truths that would benefit American civilization. Famed American historian Mark Noll writes, "His faith was profound, but also profoundly heterodox."

    The baptists of colonial America, by contrast, had no problem believing in every word of the Bible. Their faith rested on the central premise that Jesus really was God's Son, and that what the Bible said about his divine attributes was just as important as the moral teachings it recorded. The baptists had earned the ire of both Catholics and protestants in America for several important views: they rejected infant baptism and insisted that the state should have no role in the affairs of the church. Both views represented their strict adherence to the Bible. Neither the baptism of infants nor a formalized role of the government in church life are mentioned in scripture and were therefore rejected by the baptists. These two views moved them outside of the mainstream American religious experience.

    On a single point, however, Jefferson and the baptists found common ground. While Jefferson would have cared little whether or not a baby was baptized, he was concerned about every American having the right to worship God as they saw fit. The baptists--who had never enjoyed the protection of a colonial government--saw a religiously neutral government that protected the liberties of all faiths as a necessity for survival. The selection of a single religion as the official expression of American faith

would be detrimental to the less popular groups, and contrary to the personal views of the third president. This issue became an opportunity for unity between Jefferson, and one which ultimately benefitted every citizen of the fledgling country.

     The Future of American Religion

    The Danbury Baptist Association wrote Jefferson on October 7, 1801, reinstating their belief "that no man ought to suffer in name, person, or effects on account of his religious opinions". Although the first amendment had already been passed into law, they felt that the constitution remained unspecific and that their rights remained unprotected at a state level. They also felt they might lose their rights altogether if the first amendment was rescinded by a future legislature. Jefferson responded with his assurance that "religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, [and] that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship..." He goes on to argue that the first amendment was "building a wall of separation between Church & State", one which protected the natural rights of all Americans. 

    This was by no means a settled affair; Americans would continue to debate the role of the government in the American religious experience, but the vision of a separate church and state--wherein the religious liberties of Americans were respected across the nation--would shape the future and become something uniquely American. 

Jefferson, Thomas, and Henry Augustine Washington. The writings of Thomas Jefferson: being his autobiography, correspondence, reports, messages, addresses, and other writings, official and private. Vol. 8. Washington, D.C: Taylor & Maury, 1853-1854. Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926 (accessed November 13, 2022). https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CY0105513661/SABN?u=vic_liberty&sid=bookmark-SABN&xid=432698dc&pg=120.

“Letters between Thomas Jefferson and the Danbury Baptists (1802).” Bill of Rights Institute. https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/danburybaptists.

Noll, Mark A. A History of Christianity in the United States and Canada, Kindle ed. Eerdmans 2019, 121.