| Description |
Many authors have recently noted that the American culture is no longer divided along denominational lines as it has been historically. These authors have shown that Evangelical Christians, Orthodox Jews and conservative Catholics have discovered their common interests while liberal Protestants, liberal Catholics, Reform Jews and Secularists have discovered theirs. Some authors have called this evolution from a culture divided by denomination to a culture divided by conservative and liberal political views a process of secularization of the American society. Yet the American religious voice is very much alive today and has not undergone a process of secularization but a realignment of the traditional coalitions. Through an analysis of friend-of-the-court briefs filed in Supreme Court religion cases from 1982-1993, this paper will attempt to show that 1) in Establishment Clause cases conservative religious groups of all faiths form coalitions while the liberal religious groups of those same faiths form opposing coalitions and 2) in Free Exercise Clause cases the conservative and liberal of all faiths form one large, diverse coalition to battle government intervention in religious affairs. Although these coalitions can be very strong and predictable, they are not certain. This is because the commitment of religious organizations to these coalitions is not based on loyalty to the liberal or conservative faction but instead to the self interest of the particular organization. Therefore, the formation of these coalitions is dependant upon the specific issue and the circumstances surrounding that issue. Although the makeup of these coalitions cannot be predicted with certainty, this analysis does show that denominational lines no longer divide American society in political issues. |
