As a general rule, separationists are those who support the separation between church and state. The level of support will vary, however. The strictest of separationists advocate separation in every way and on every level. They deny that the federal government has absolutely any power over religion whatsoever, and as a consequence, they argue that the government should not have any involvement with religious organizations whatsoever.
Other separationists do not go quite as far. Although they may also argue that the government should not have any positive or negative power over religion, they do not conclude that the government also should not have any power over religious organizations. On the contrary, they may argue that governmental separation from religion requires some involvement with the regulation of religious groups — for example, preventing fraud and ensuring that they follow civil laws. Generally speaking, the separationist attitude is what dominated court rulings during the last half of the 20th century.
Whatever the actual case in question, separationists interpret the First Amendment broadly, believing that it prevents the government from having any authority to either help or hinder religion in any manner — this includes not just specific religious groups and denominations, but also religion generally. That is a key issue which distinguishes separationists from other people in the debate over the separation of church and state.
Separationists, then, will oppose any attempt by the government to provide funds or aid to religious groups or schools “without preference” — that is to say, to all groups equally, which favors religion over irreligion. Some specific cases which separationists oppose:
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Government funding for religious schools
Government organizations encouraging, discouraging or organizing prayers
of any sort in places like schools or town council meetings
Government funding for religious displays (creche, menorah, Ten Commandments)
Government preference for specific religious holidays
Separationists are frequently accused of religious bigotry or, at the very least, of advocating hostility toward religion. This charge is based upon the premise that a lack of government endorsement of religion generally or of religious groups specifically creates a “hostile atmosphere.” This hostility, in turn, is itself a violation of the separation of church and state. The paradoxical conclusion is that true separation can only be achieved once strict separation is abandoned and government support of religion is permitted.
It is also commonly assumed that separationists are all secularists and non-religious people, opposed to Christians on the other side of the debate over the separation of church and state. This is not actually true — there are many Christians who support separation (even the strictest form of separation) and there are non-Christians who are opposed to separation in various ways.
