Christianity should be the official state religion, say one-third of respondents in a nationwide HuffPost/YouGov poll.
According to polling , 32 percent of adults said they would support a constitutional amendment that makes Christianity the official religion of the United States, with 52 percent preferring to keep church and state separated . On a more local scale, 34 percent would like to see Christianity as the official state religion in their own state, while 47 percent oppose such an idea.
However, despite one-third of voters expressing support for a state religion, not many harbor hopes of church and state becoming one: Only 11 percent said they thought the US Constitution would allow states to adopt a state religion. Fifty-eight percent believed such a move would be unconstitutional, while 31 percent said they were not sure.
Voters were probably correct in their assessment of how realistic a state religion is: According to the US Supreme Court, the First Amendment prevents the government from establishing an official religion. The ruling also applies to states.
On Thursday, the North Carolina House of Representatives rejected a bill that could have laid the foundations for introducing an official state religion.
In the poll, Democrats were less likely to vote for an amendment proposing the combining of church and state. 46 percent of Democrats voted against the concept, while 55 percent of Republicans said they would favor a national constitutional amendment.
The HuffPost/YouGov poll was conducted April 3 – 4 among 1,000 US adults.
Where do you stand on the separation of church and state? Let us know in the comments!
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