Myth:
If expressions of religious belief, like that in our national motto or Pledge of Allegiance, can be declared unconstitutional simply because they reflect basic truths of our religious faith, then any expression of religious faith can also be declared illegal. Our basic freedoms, especially religious freedoms, will crumble.
Response:
One of the most popular means the Christian Right has for scaring people out of supporting church/state separation is to get them to believe that if the government is prohibited from expressing, endorsing, and promoting religious beliefs, then individual Christians will also be prohibited from doing the same. Denying the government authority over religious matters is thus reframed as government suppression of religious expression. How does that work?
Christians in America are often told that they are being persecuted, so claims like this fall on already very fertile ground. Despite having their hands on nearly every lever of power throughout American society, many Christians sincerely believe that they and their religion are under siege and suffering from persecution. They certainly don't want to experience even more hardship, so they are responsive to whatever suggestions their leaders offer to stave off the criminalization of their religion.
Unfortunately, these Christians are simply being deceived. There is no logical, necessary, or legal connection between preventing the government from promoting certain religious beliefs and preventing individual citizens from expressing those same religious beliefs on their own. Religious expressions like those in the national motto ("In God We Trust") and the Pledge of Allegiance ("One Nation Under God") have always been permitted without restriction for private individuals when acting as private individuals. There is no reason to think that this will change.
It certainly isn't going to change if the government is prevented from expressing such religious beliefs. The government isn't permitted to change the motto to "In Jesus We Trust," but does this suggest that Christians will soon be prevented from expressing trust and faith in Jesus? The government isn't permitted to change the Pledge of Allegiance to say "One Nation Under Buddha," but does this imply that Buddhists will soon be prevented from following the teachings of Buddha? Of course not — that's absurd.
It's no more absurd, though, than suggesting that if the government is prevented from establishing "In God We Trust" or "One Nation Under God" then individual religious believers will also be prevented from expressing such beliefs. Again, Christian Right leaders are simply trying to scare Christians with misleading arguments that have no basis in fact, logic, or law. Their claims are untrue, unreasonable, and unfair — they are misrepresenting what atheists and many religious theists want from their defense of the separation of church and state.
