God and Caesar in the Twenty-First Century: What Recent Cases Say About Church-State Relations in England and the United States

Abstract:     
This article analyzes current jurisprudence covering the relationship of church and state in the United States and England. The co-authors present background about the history of religious establishment and church-state jurisprudence in the two countries. They then discuss the effects of each country's recent cases on the subject. From the U.S., they discuss the Supreme Court's 2005 decisions in McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky and Van Orden v. Perry. Those cases, brought under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, concerned Ten Commandments displays on government property in Kentucky and Texas. The authors also discuss recent U.K. cases, including the Denbigh High School case, which involved Muslim dress in school. The authors conclude that the two countries are moving closer to each other on the continuum between establishment and disestablishment of religion.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 32

Keywords: Church, state, religion, government, United States, England, United Kingdom, U.K., Britain, establishment, disestablishment, McCreary County, Van Orden, Establishment Clause, First Amendment, Constitution, Ten Commandments, Kentucky, Texas, Muslim dress, Denbigh High School, Islam, school

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