Religion and government in the United States – eight facts from Pew

Many Americans believe in the separation of church and state, but others, often conservative evangelicals often argue that the notion is nowhere to be found in the U.S. Constitution.

Dalia Fahmy wrote for Pew Research on July that separation of church and state has come under scrutiny again this summer after the U.S. Supreme Court sided with religious conservatives in a series of rulings.

One of the rulings allows states to fund religious schools indirectly, while another protects religious schools from federal employment discrimination lawsuits.

Fahmy wrote that Americans have been debating where to draw the line between religion and government since the founding of the United States.

She notes that even as the percentage of religiously unaffiliated Americans rises, church and state remain intertwined in many ways – often with the public’s support.

She outlined eight facts about the connections between religion and government in the United States, based on previously published Pew Research Center analyses.

1. Every state constitution references either God or the divine, but the U.S. Constitution does not mention God,

“God also appears in the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and on U.S. currency,” write Fahmy.

1. The U.S. Congress has always been overwhelmingly Christian, and roughly nine-in-ten representatives (88 percent) in the current Congress identify as Christian, 2019 analysis finds.

PROTESTANTS AND CATHOLICS OVERREPRESENTED

While the number of self-identified Christians in Congress slipped down in the 2016 election, Christians as a whole – and especially Protestants and Catholics – are still overrepresented on Capitol Hill relative to their share of the U.S. population.

The religious makeup of the 116th Congress

1. Almost all U.S. presidents, including Donald Trump, have been Christian, and many have identified as either Episcopalian or Presbyterian.

Still, two of the most celebrated presidents, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, had no formal religious affiliation. Most U.S. presidents have been sworn in with a Bible, and they traditionally seal their oath of office with “so help me God.”

1. Roughly half of Americans feel it is either very (20 percent) or somewhat (32 percent) important for a president to have strong religious beliefs, according to a survey in February.

But only around four-in-ten (39 percent) say it is important for a president to share their religious beliefs. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say it is at least somewhat important for a president to have strong religious beliefs (65 percent vs 41 percent).

1. Americans are divided on the extent to which the country’s laws should reflect Bible teachings.

Nearly 50 percent of U.S. adults say the Bible should influence the country’s laws either a great deal (23 percent) or some (26 percent), and more than a quarter (28 percent) say the Bible should prevail over the will of the people if the two are at odds, the February survey found. Half of Americans, meanwhile, say the Bible shouldn’t influence U.S. laws much (19 percent) or at all (31 percent).

Half of Americans say Bible should influence U.S. laws; and 28 percent favor it over the will of the people

1. A total of 63 percent of Americans say churches and other houses of worship should stay out of politics.

An even higher, more than three quarters (76 percent) say these houses of worship should not endorse political candidates during elections, according to a 2019 survey. But, more than a third of Americans (36%) say churches and other houses of worship should express their views on social and political matters. (The Johnson Amendment, enacted in 1954, prohibits tax-exempt institutions like churches from involvement in political campaigns on behalf of any candidate.)

1. Only about a third of Americans (32 percent) say government policies should support religious values. Almost two-thirds (65 percent) say religion should be kept out of government policies, a 2017 Pew Research Center survey found.

1. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1962 that it is unconstitutional for a teacher to lead a class in prayer at a public school, yet 8 percent of public school students ages 13 to 17 say they have experienced this, according to a 2019 survey.

(It is, however, possible that some teens who spoke of the experience, could have previously attended religious private schools where teacher-led prayer is constitutional.) This experience is more common in the South (12 percent) than in the Northeast (2 percent). Forty-one percent of U.S. teens in public schools feel it’s fitting for a teacher to lead a class in prayer, including 29 percent of teens who know that this practice is banned but say it is acceptable nevertheless.

Rapid COVID-19 spike strains South Africa’s health system as churches rush to aid those hit

South Africa’s has by far Africa’s highest COVID-19 infection rate in Africa, and is likely to pass the 400,000 mark this week while the health system in its Eastern Cape Province – has collapsed with reports of patients lying on dirty, bloodied floors in urban hospitals.

Cape Town’s Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba says the situation in the province where the Angican Communion has a strong presence is “devastating”.

The church network has had to spring to the aid of communities lambasted economically as well as health-wise by the pandemic.

“Every ward in that hospital is doomed and it’s painful because everyone is dying … the nurses are working in a hellhole … they are dying like flies,” said nurse Doris Mpayipeli of Cecilia Makiwane Hospital.

She works in a large government-funded, provincial teaching hospital in the Mdantsane township of East London and spoke to the local Daily Dispatch newspaper this weekend.

Only the United States, Brazil, Russia, and India have reported more COVID-19 cases, but these countries have also much bigger populations than South Africa with its 59 million inhabitants.

Earlier this week, the youngest daughter of former president Nelson Mandela, Zindzi Mandela, became South Africa’s most prominent Covid-19 victim, aged 59.

Judy Ngoloyi, a spokesperson for the Eastern Cape provincial health department, confirmed to the Dispatch that 165 nurses had tested positive for COVID-19 at the Makiwane hospital alone.

In Eastern Cape hospitals in the Buffalo City metropolitan area that includes East London, and Mdantsane township, 271 nurses had died so far due to Covid-19-related complications.

The economic heartland of South Africa, Gauteng province, is the current COVID-19 hotspot, but now more than a third of the country’s infections are now in the Eastern Cape on the Indian Ocean seaboard which has two big urban areas.                                         

The Eastern Cape has underlying pre-COVID-19 weaknesses in water, food, housing, and basic infrastructure shortages, coupled with a high unemployment rate boosted by rampant corruption which has speeded the health system collapse.

The COVID-19 crisis and the resulting lockdown triggered an economic crisis and growing poverty that led to the strong Christian community in the country being called in.

The Anglican Church has strong ties to the Eastern Cape, the diocese of Grahamstown was established in 1853.

Dean Andrew Hunter of St. Michael and St. George Cathedral in Makhanda, formerly Grahamstown said this week, “As soon as the Covid-19 lockdown started in March we got requests from the broader community for help and there has been a phenomenal response to our Cathedral’s Covid Care Fund.”

FOOD PARCELS

It enables the cathedral to distribute food vouchers and 530 food parcels every two weeks.

South Africa’s Herald newspaper reported on July 15, that the dean of Health Sciences at Nelson Mandela University, Professor Lungile Pepeta said that the temporary COVID-19 hospital in the province funded by Volkswagen and the German government is not adequately staffed.

A fortnight ago he warned that a shortage of nurses and doctors and the failure of a coordinated response by the health services in the province, has meant the health system has collapsed.

Professor Sonwabile Mnwana of Sociology at the University of Fort Hare, South Africa wrote in the Daily Maverick this week, “Of course, that the Eastern Cape public health is overwhelmed does not come as any surprise to the majority of citizens in the province.

“Almost every citizen who has encountered the system over the past five decades would concur that the system was never ready for a pandemic of any scale. In most rural healthcare centres – where these even exist at all – there have been serious staff and equipment shortages for decades.”

The Eastern Cape metropolitan areas of Buffalo City (including East London) and Nelson Mandela Bay (formerly Port Elizabeth) are hardest hit at this stage, while some rural areas like Sterkspruit are affected in terms of water and food shortages.

During the level five strict lockdown parishioners from the Cathedral helped pack 800 food parcels every two weeks under the umbrella of Makhanda Circle of Unity, a co-operative forum for business, civic and local government bodies.

As infections rise by about 13,500 each day in South Africa, the strict lockdown phase has been lifted in order for people to return to work and keep the economy floating. Three million people have lost their jobs already.

The Social Development Programme for the Anglican Church in southern Africa, Hope Africa, says it has run out of funds to help vulnerable communities during the novel coronavirus pandemic affecting thousands of people depending on the aid.

“Our biggest challenge is that we as the church don’t have enough funding to reach out to all the needs. The distances are vast and much of the area is rural. We have run out of funds to continue sending food vouchers.

“Churches have also been saying that there is less food available to continue feeding during the pandemic.” Canon Delene Marks, CEO of Hope Africa said on Wednesday.

Hope Africa also supplies water to strongly affected communities like Sterkspruit, a badly-affected rural community.

“Water is a problem as the government has water shortages and quite often the taps run dry,” Canon Marks said. There are reports in local newspapers this week of protests as anger grows in rural areas of the Eastern Cape at the failure of municipalities and central government to provide a regular, clean supply of water during the COVID19 pandemic.

This articles was modified from an article that first appeared in Medium

Nigerian Christians praise Muslim group’s call to government over Boko Haram’s terror actions

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation with an estimated 210 million people, has a distinctive mix of people with almost equal numbers of Christians and Muslims, most of whom get on, living their normal lives intertwined in peace, except when terror strikes.

Therefore, when one of the country’s leading Muslim organizations spoke out against the terror unleashed by the Boko Haram extremist group in the name of Islam, Nigerian Christian leaders welcomed it.

The statement followed frequent criticism from many in the country, including church leaders and ecumenical organizations associated with the World Council of Churches, that the government has not done enough to protect the people from this terror.

The militant Islamist group Boko Haram – which has caused havoc through its wave of bombings, assassinations and abductions – is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.

Boko Haram promotes a version of Islam which makes it “haram,” or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity – including education – associated with Western society.

On June 17, Jama’atu Nasril Islam or JNI said in a widely reported press release that it is “in utter shockwave over the unfortunate repeated incidences of loss of precious lives and wanton destruction of property arising from well-coordinated attacks of armed bandits, Boko Haram terrorist groups and rapists.”

Elder Uzoaku Williams, president of the Women’s Wing of the Christian Council of Nigeria and publicity secretary of the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace, said in reaction, “I deeply appreciate the timely and prophetic response of JNI.”

JNI said, “These repeated calamitous scenarios would have been avoided had the government risen to the occasion.

“We nonetheless as always condemn the repeated brutal acts in their entirety; especially the lackadaisical attitude of relevant security agencies that seemed to be overwhelmed, despite repeated calls by concerned and well-meaning Nigerians for decisive action.”

‘BUILDING BACK THE NIGERIAN NATION’

“It is time that religious organizations collectively rescue the nation that is fast enveloping with silence in the face of gruesome destruction of lives and property. I totally align with JNI and together we can build back our nation Nigeria,” said Elder Williams.

JNI said in its statement, “We implore the government to take all genuine calls, concerns so raised and recommendations proffered so far.”

Archbishop Henry C. Ndukuba, primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) expressed appreciation of the deep concern and “pious response” of the leadership of JNI concerning the “degenerated state of insecurity in Nigeria and the West African region.”

JNI said that considering the religious beliefs of the perpetrators, “sincere religious scholars must be involved in arresting the menace.”

“Linked to the menace of gender violence is undoubtedly rape, whose devilish manifestation ought to be sternly addressed.

“Hence, the JNI strongly opines that the female’s chastity, honour and integrity must be fully protected.” JNI called for a collective approach between the Federal Ministries of Women’s Affairs,

Justice, and Internal Affairs, as well “as sincere religious scholars in mapping out strategies of arresting raping and gender violence in Nigeria.”

The group implored all Muslims, particularly imams, to recommence Qunootun-Nawazil “or special prayers at calamitous periods in the last Raka’at of each obligatory prayer and non-obligatory prayers seeking Allah’s intervention.” ”

Likewise, fervent observance of Adhkar (remembrance of Allah) should also be ventured to by all Muslims, as it is a vital tool for easing fears, tension and uncertainties such as the myriad security challenges bedeviling Nigeria,” said JNI.

Boko Haram was founded in 2002. Its official Arabic name, Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, means “People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad.”

Boko Haram regards the Nigerian state as being run by non-believers, regardless of whether the president is Muslim or not – and has extended its military campaign by targeting neighbouring countries.

SPECIAL ROLE OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS

Archbishop Ndukuba said, “The religious, community and traditional leaders occupy a very strategic place in this fight and therefore must be sincere in their efforts; first intentionally support the government, and secondly eradicate religious and cultural factors that promote and enhance insecurity.”

In August 2016 Nigerian Christians and Muslims opened the International Centre for Inter-Faith Peace and Harmony, located in Kaduna, where more than 20,000 people have died in various conflicts over the preceding three decades.

Among a growing number of interfaith initiatives in Nigeria, the centre’s goal is to promote interfaith relations and cooperation in Nigeria.

Key local Nigerian organizations, the Christian Council of Nigeria and JNI, led the effort to open the center, which was preceded in 2014 by a consultative forum held in Abuja that drew about 40 Muslim and Christian leaders.

Boko Haram attacks have killed over 30,000 and displaced an estimated 3 million people since July 2009, when the violence started in the country’s northeast states Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, across an area roughly the size of Belgium.