IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 18, Issue 2 (Nov. - Dec. 2013), PP 54-58 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org www.iosrjournals.org 54 | Page The Marginalization of Secularism in the American Political Practice Dr. Wassim Daghrir Abstract: The religion-politics nexus marginalizes the secular and rational political message, which has a serious impact on the efficiency of American democracy. In fact, a well-functioning democracy is based on a large exchange of political ideas, not on simplistic faith-based preaches. Thus, the US Constitution, the pillar of the American political system, conditioned the well-functioning of democracy on the unambiguous separation between church and state. Yet, the American people’s high religiosity has always been largely taken into consideration by major American politicians who have rarely resisted giving a religious orientation to their political message. Indeed, concepts such as “Chosen People”, “City upon a Hill” (Colonial Era), “Manifest Destiny”, “Divine Ordinance” (19 th c.); “America’s Mission”, and “American Exceptionalism” (Contemporary Era) have rarely been challenged in the mainstream political milieu, at the expense of the rational, secular perspectives. Key Words: Religion-Politics Nexus / a Secular Democracy? / Religiosity / Religion and Politics / Religion and Foreign Policy / theoretical secularism vs. practical religiosity I. Introduction The religion-politics nexus marginalizes the secular and rational political message, which has a serious impact on the efficiency of American democracy. In fact, a healthy democracy is based on a large exchange of political ideas, not on simplistic faith-based preaches. Thus, the US Constitution, the pillar of the American political system, conditioned the well-functioning of democracy on the unambiguous separation between church and state. Yet, the American people‘s high religiosity has always been largely taken into consideration by major American politicians who have rarely resisted giving a religious orientation to their political message. Indeed, concepts such as ―Chosen People‖, ―City upon a Hill‖ (Colonial Era), ―Manifest Destiny‖, ―Divine Ordinance‖ (19 th c.), ―America‘s Mission‖, and ―American Exceptionalism‖ (Contemporary Era) have rarely been challenged in the mainstream political milieu, at the expense of the rational, secular perspectives. II. Secularism and the Constitution During the independence and foundation years, attitudes toward religion among the American elite experienced profound changes as a result of scientific rationalism and the Enlightenment thinking of the 18 th c. Indeed, the growing concern with ―the laws of nature‖ as embodied by the discoveries of the English scientist Isaac Newton and the doctrines of the English philosopher John Locke helped shape a new understanding of religion and give further credit to the principle of religious liberty, symbolizing a shift from ―an age of faith‖ to ―an age of reason‖. The strong emphasis on freedom of the mind which marked the Enlightenment Era had a far-reaching impact on the early American intellectual, social and political elite. Symbolically, some of those who contributed the most to the birth of the new American nation were also the ones who led the struggle for liberty of conscience and disestablishment. Indeed, Thomas Jefferson, the chief formulator of the Declaration of Independence, and James Madison, often referred to as the intellectual of the American Constitution, may just as well be remembered as apostles of religious freedom. In this vein, Madison advocated ―free exercise‖ of religion as the natural right of every citizen; and Jefferson argued that ―our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, anymore than our opinions in physics or geometry.‖ The US Constitution embodied these revolutionary ideals in the form of its 6 th Article and its 1 st Amendment. Breaking with the Old World‘s tradition which had consistently linked public office to religious affiliation, Articles VI reads as follows: ―no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the US‖. The First Amendment declared that ―congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof‖. It, thus, guaranteed freedom of worship through separation of church and state. It guaranteed that the national government cannot impose any particular faith on the American people by law and that religious practice (or the absence of it) remains a matter of