Is There a "Weight of History" Against Religion in Government



Statistics show the liberal wing of Christianity, I think of it as moderate or main stream Christianity, is dropping in membership rapidly. This data come from denominations like the Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, etc. They are denominations, mostly, which now approve or do not condemn gay people or gay marriage. 

This data does not show trends in non denominational churches which have become popular. So far as I know, there have been no studies of the theologies of these churches. If there is something called "return to the mean" in Christianity, a theme of theology that brings people in the pews back to something that has been believed for most of U.S. history, what would it be. 

Recently, a post in the conservative Wall Street Journal pointed to the denomination of Presbyterianism as a force toward freedom of assembly and belief but resistant to a government religion. It concludes the ideal of Christian nationalism in the Presbyterian denomination has been found to be "wanting" over a long period of time in the U.S. Presbyterians refuse to bend to the siren of putting their religion into government.

Presbyterians, along with Episcopalians, have long been considered the denominations of the "establishment." Early versions of the establishment were anti-Catholic and not the more populous Baptists. In spite of pressures, these denominations have not gone anti-abortion and anti-gay. They continue to champion religious liberty. 

I've long believed abortion and gay rights along with religion separate from government will be the version of Christianity that prevails. Not only is the package practical and logical, it is the version that has been central in the country's history.

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