Why is polygamy illegal in America, but animal sacrifice is not? Why are prayers in public schools illegal, but not prayers at town meetings? Why is public school religious education illegal, but having ‘under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance is not? Why is it illegal to post the Ten Commandments inside one government building, but not on the outside of another? Do baked goods constitute religious expression, and if so, does that condone discrimination? Is the cross even a religious symbol anymore?

Together, these questions ask a larger one, in two parts: what is American religion, and how do we go about making sense of it? Questions made all that more complicated by the two religion clauses of the First Amendment, sixteen words that on one hand restrict the U.S. government from declaring a specific religion the official one, while on the other, permit every American the freedom to practice whatever religion they want: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Making sense of American religion is a challenging process, for which there is no simple solution. But it is doable. And that will be our goal with this course. Each week we will read two related Supreme Court case decisions that have directly addressed these issues, discuss the people involved, their beliefs, the Court’s final ruling, and how all of this might help us make better sense of the beautiful complexity that is religion in America.