discussions that led the founding fathers to insert the anti-establishment clause into the U.S. Constitution?

Question

describe the philosophical, theological, and political
discussions that led the founding fathers to insert the
anti-establishment clause into the U.S. Constitution.

Answer 1

There is no way to address this question in one brief answer -- It would take a whole book! But to keep it short and basic: The writers of the constitution had seen for themselves what happens when there is an official gov't-sponsored church. Sometimes it involved requirements that everybody actually attend a church other than their own, and prosecuted them for non-attendance. Sometimes it excused attendance, but required financial support in the form of taxes. Sometimes it made membership in the approved denomination a requirement for office-holding or jury service. In some locales, the Anglican/Episcopalians debarred the Baptists from their rights, in some locales the Puritan/Congregationalists made life difficult for the Methodists and Quakers, and in just about every locale Protestants considered Catholics lesser citizens. The philosophical outlook of the constitution-writers was that nothing is so important and personal as a human being's relationship with God, and that any coercion or interference in that relationship is wrong. Placing burdens on a person's ability to function in civic life constitutes interference. Therefore, they put it in writing that our government shall not favor any establishment of religion over others, nor interfere with religion in any way. To the question, "But shouldn't government support religion in general as a good thing?", their answer was pretty much "No." Even if you grant that religion is, in general, a good thing, it is not a thing which belongs to the realm of government. They held that government was a contract between the people, by which they set out to secure public order, to prevent people from harming each other, and to handle certain civic matters such as defense and commerce and infrastructure. It was a purely man-made and secular structure, and had no call to meddle with the affairs of God and individual souls. The first amendment forbids government to "make an establishment of religion" -- (which means that government can't sponsor any official practices of religion) -- or to "interfere with the free exercise thereof" -- ( which means government can't stop you from private practice of your faith).