Constitutional law scholar Philip Muñoz will visit campus tonight to engage students in a discussion on the boundaries of religious freedom and the role faith plays in American politics.
Muñoz will present “In God We Don’t Trust: The Supreme Court and Religion,” a discussion on the role religion plays in shaping American public policy. He will also review the current Supreme Court’s decisions regarding religion and how it may change under the incoming Obama presidency.
The lecture is being sponsored by Cal Poly’s religious studies program.
“America has a funny relationship with religion,” said religious studies program advisor Stephen R. Lloyd-Moffett. “On the one hand, we cherish the separation of church and state, yet on the other hand, we put ‘In God We Trust’ on our money and we put ‘Under God’ in our Pledge of Allegiance.
So we have this tension inherent in America that we still haven’t figured out. What role should religion play in society? It’s one of those enduring questions in American history, and one that is particularly pertinent now, because America is changing so much. We are becoming so religiously diverse. So I think the question of religious freedom is coming to the floor again,” he continued.
One of the topics Muñoz will address is how President-elect Obama’s appointments may affect the Supreme Court.
“Under Bush, (the Supreme Court) has become more conservative,” said Lloyd-Moffett. “There’s a question of whether the court’s relationship to religion is going to be shifted because of the appointments of the last eight years and especially now with one to maybe three appointments with Obama.”
“We’re at a time where everything seems to be changing. And students aren’t real comfortable with how to feel about religion in the public square.”
Political science professor Ron Den Otter, who encouraged his students to attend the lecture, agreed. “The place of religion in public life is not only an important political question but also an important constitutional question,” he said. “I think it’s a topic that people would be interested in.”
According to Lloyd-Moffett, who went to school with Muñoz and knows him personally, students will find him balanced and thought provoking, as well as welcoming of open discussion.
“Phil’s greatest skill is that he can bring to light ways of thinking about things that challenge you without alienating you,” he said. “He loves for people to bring up challenging questions and engage him in conversation.”
Muñoz, assistant professor of political science at Tufts University, is also the William E. Simon Visiting Fellow in Religion and Public Life at the James Madison Program at Princeton. He has published articles for the American Political Science Review and the Wall Street Journal, as well as given commentary for National Public Radio and the Fox News Channel.
In keeping with his theme of religion and the American Constitution, Munoz’s first book, “God and the Founders: Madison, Washington and Jefferson on Religious Liberty,” is set to be published by the Cambridge University Press later this year.
The free event, which is open to the public, will be held in Room 220 in the University Union and will begin at 7 p.m.