Grad student essay contest 2024 — 3rd place: Claire Miller

FFRF awarded Claire $2,500.

By Claire Miller

Christian nationalism is the strongly held belief that the United States is a Christian nation, and the government can, and should, take steps to align legal values with those practicing Christianity. Christianity is a broad religion with a multitude of sects that often disagree on core tenets of the faith, so it is unclear exactly whose values the government should be aligned with. There are a multitude of frightening implications of this religious and moral extremism.

In the U.S. Constitution, the main structural foundation for the United States, it is written that there should remain a separation of church and state, meaning that the government can neither persecute the people for their varying religious views nor force religious values on the people of this country.

Ironically, many of those who tout the ideas of Christian nationalism strongly support the Constitution and its amendments (specifically the First and Second Amendments), but turn a blind eye to the clearly defined separation of church and state held within.

I consider myself somewhere between agnostic and atheistic; in other words, religion really isn’t for me. However, I never disrespect those who are religious, as I understand it brings many people comfort, structure and community. Generally, other people having religious values doesn’t harm others, so there is no reason for it to be any of my business. This is most certainly not the case with Christian nationalism.

Not all people within the United States follow the varying moral rules put forth by the bible in its many translations and interpretations, and you cannot force all people to follow them. I have always appreciated the following analogy: Just because you are on a diet doesn’t mean I am not allowed to enjoy a donut.

I am not a Christian, therefore I see no issue with many legal rights opposed by extreme Christian groups, such as gay marriage, premarital sex and abortion. Simply put, these topics are really none of my business as they do not impact me or others outside of the individuals involved.

The issue of abortion highlights just how dangerous to others Christian nationalism can become. After the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court, states can now dictate how accessible abortion and other reproductive services may be. I am a cisgender female in my prime reproductive years who does not have the desire, finances or other resources to support a child at the moment. I take all the necessary precautions as such, but nature takes its course as it will, and there is always a chance that sex (or even horrors like rape) could lead to conception. Should I not want to continue the pregnancy, or should it be nonviable or even an ectopic pregnancy, I would have to hope that my state government is not operating under Christian nationalist ideals.

Many Christians vehemently oppose the idea of abortion, even if medically necessary or in cases of rape or incest, based on their religious beliefs, despite the bible’s stance on abortion being largely neutral to even positive in certain stories.

I would have no qualms on removing cellular material from my uterus if it is causing me harm or distress. Why should Christian values overrule mine, especially regarding my own personal, very private medical care? I live in Ohio, a state where immediate trigger bans limit abortion access to six weeks post-conception, a measurement that itself is heavily flawed. Even though voters chose to support expanded abortion rights, the state government is still fighting the will of the majority while citing morals from Christian religious values rather than any legal source.

If I do not believe in the Christian God, why are human government officials or voters able to make medical choices for my body on its behalf? Why do some people believe that it may be my body, but it is God’s choice, despite my agnosticism? And why should the Christian God take precedence, rather than Allah, Yahweh, Odin, Zeus, Gaia or any of the hundreds of deities from human history? Answer: No god has a place in government, and the Constitution is clear on that.

Christian nationalism cannot be allowed to mold legal proceedings to fit a religion that does not define the people of this country. This is when religion does harm others and must be checked.

Claire, 22, attends Purdue University and is working to ward a degree in psychology.

“I love to be involved in a wide range of activities outside of education, such as art (digital, traditional, acrylic painting, embroidery), gardening and exotic pet care,” Claire writes.