Compose an essay of at least 2000 words but no more than 3000 words (not including your references list) in which you discuss in depth the following topic, making sure to offer your critical thinking opinions (opinions plus reasons and evidence) of relevant ideas from the Weeks 1-4 readings wherever possible:

Since its 1947 decision in Everson v. Board of Education (with an opinion written by Justice Hugo Black), the Supreme Court has further considered and limited the active role that religion or religious institutions can play in the public sphere—that is, on government property. In your essay, present an argument for one of the two following positions:

(a) Faith groups and institutions should be allowed to form political parties and they should attempt to gain influence in the workings of government for their views and values by entering the realm of political discourse and attempting to elect their own politicians.

(b) Faith groups and institutions should not be allowed to form political parties and they should not attempt to gain influence in the workings of government for their views and values by entering the realm of political discourse and attempting to elect their own politicians.

Note: In answering these questions, you will specifically want to reference and critique, wherever possible, relevant ideas from the Week 1 readings on values; Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Jefferson, from Week 2; the Week 3 readings on interpretation of the Constitution, and the Week 4 readings listed above. You may also bring in up to two additional sources that you have found in your own research of the topic.

Week 4 Required Readings

The Rise and Fall of Puritanism: The Attempt to Create an American Theocracy:

John Winthrop: Selections from “A Model of Christian Charity” (1630)

Jonathan Edwards: The Great Awakening: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (1741)

Benjamin Franklin: “A Witch Trial at Mount Holly” (1730; note: this is a work of satire—fiction—not of journalism)

Separation of Church and State:

Michael Novak: “Faith and the American Founding”

Marci Hamilton: “The Ten Commandments and American Law: Why Some Christians' Claims to Legal Hegemony Are Not Consistent with the Historical Record” (Sept. 11, 2003)

Thomas Jefferson: Letter to the Danbury Baptists, Jan. 1, 1802

Daniel Dreisbach: “The Mythical ‘Wall of Separation’”

Christopher Clausen: “America’s Design for Tolerance” (2007)

Employ APA format for both in-text citations and your references list. Abstracts and running heads are not required. Use the Major Essay Grading Rubric for guidance on how to write this paper successfully and well.

Employ APA format for both in-text citations and your references list. Abstracts and running heads are not required. Use the Major Essay Grading Rubric for guidance on how to write this paper successfully and well.

Important Assignment Guidelines: Not following these guidelines will have a negative impact on your grade for the week.

Write in Arial font, size 14 (chosen from the drop-down menus on the create thread box in the Discussion Board forum), unless otherwise directed by your instructor.

Reference specific ideas from the assigned readings that illustrate these values. (See notes above for specifics on this). Always name the author whose ideas you are discussing (use the author’s full name the first time you refer to him/her; after that, identify authors by their last names).

Provide in-text citations for all ideas, opinions, and facts derived from the course readings, whether you simply refer to them, paraphrase them (put them entirely into your own words), or quote them. Place the in-text citation at the end of your sentence but before the period that ends your sentence. The in-text citation should give the author’s last name (unless you’ve used it already in your sentence), the year of publication (if known), and the appropriate page number(s) from the reading (if page numbers are used in the online text of the essay). Do not use the title of the reading unless it does not have an author).

Here’s an example of a citation for the Thomas Paine reading for Week 1: (Paine, 1776). 

Here’s an example of a citation for the John Locke reading for Week 2: (Locke, 1689, pp. 46-47). 

Provide a References list at the end of your essay that includes bibliographic references for every reading cited in your essay.

Note: Your references list does not count toward your minimum word count.

Center the word References (do not underline it, place it in quotation marks, or place it in bold or larger size font).

Present your references, listed alphabetically by author’s last name.

Follow APA formatting guidelines for your list.

Here is an example of a references list entry:

Locke, J. (1689). Of the beginning of political societies. In Two treatisesof government (Chapter VIII). Retrieved from

http://idcontent.bellevue.edu/content/CAS/eBooks/Kirkpatr/Book1.pdf

Note1: The first line of the reference begins at the left margin. Allsubsequent lines should be indented one tab.

Note 2: Do not include bibliographic references for any reading notcited in your essay. 

Practical Advice on All Writing Assignments:

Always spell- and grammar-check your essays. Note: spell-check cannot tell that you have used the wrong word; other errors may escape the computer’s check system, also. So, proofread and edit all your work carefully several times before submitting.

The Kirk Patrick Signature Reading Book is attached. Week 4 Readings