ABSTRACT
People should always be as clear as possible as to the difference between exploring the truth concerning religion and exploring the truth of religion. Because for many people religion is assumed to refer to an invisible but all too real interior world that is fully experienced only by the believer or the insider, this essentialist approach is still very popular, within and outside of the academy. A number of scholars therefore argue that the functionalist approach holds more promise for the academic study of religion practiced as part of a public discourse, in which it is financed, as with all public higher education, by a diverse citizenry. To discuss the role of religion in US public discourse one must first understand the Supreme Court’s reading of the US Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights (the name given to the first ten amendments, adopted by Congress on December 15, 1791).
