Orrin Hatch: “freedom of religion is one of the foundational principles of the Republic. It has long been central to our identity as a…”

“freedom of religion is one of the foundational principles of the Republic. It has long been central to our identity as a self-governing people, and as a cause, it has long enjoyed wide support across partisan and ideological divides for generations. Recently, however, religious liberty has come under coordinated assault by those who would hastily discard one of our founding principles to serve a narrow, transient political agenda. Given how defending religious liberty has been one of the animating goals in my public life, I feel compelled to speak out against this disturbing development. Since the end of the August recess, I have endeavored to speak regularly on the subject to remind my colleagues of the need to maintain our historic allegiance to this most American of values. So far, I have addressed the first principles of why we should protect religious freedom, as well as the legal and political history of the concept. Today I aim to address the role of religion in public life and its critical contribution to the preservation of freedom of religion. One particular phrase has come to describe the relationship between faith and public life in this country: ``the separation of church and state.'' Over the years, the invocation of this phrase has become so rote that many consider it axiomatic. While the phrase itself is quite terse, it has become shorthand for a particular narrative about the history and status of religion in American life.…”