Constitutional Facts & Myths
I have been carrying around this recent study by the First Amendment Center for a week now, trying to figure out what to make of it.
Its most disturbing finding? I cannot really choose among these:
- 65% of Americans believe that the nation’s founders intended the U.S. to be a Christian nation;
- 55% believe that that the Constitution establishes a Christian nation;
- Under 2/3’s of those sampled (56%) believe that the freedom to worship applies to all religious groups; and
- Half (50%) would allow schools to teach the Bible as a factual text in a history class.
The exact wording of the questions, and the full results (which concern the whole array of Constitutional freedoms), are available here.
What is the good news in the poll? Perhaps this: To the extent that it demonstrates that there is a vast amount of ignorance about fundamental constitutional principles, the poll suggests an array of areas in which we need to intensify our educational work. We certainly have our work cut out for us in this crucial area.