Throughout history the world has had to constantly struggle with how much faith is allowed in the public square and what role it plays in government. For some, faith and government must be totally separated, to be partially intertwined with government and fully integrated with government. Faith plays a part of our lives and in times of crisis can shape how we respond to that crisis. I will look at the three different aspects that address this problem and explain which one is best. The first theory regarding faith and politics is that they must be separated from politics. Proponents of this theory base it on previous case law and letters and treaties signed by the United States. They believe that the United States or any other nation should not force people to embrace a religion or give state support to that religion. The most cited letter is Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists in Connecticut stating that a wall of separation between church and state had appeared (Drachman et al 34). On November 4, 1796 the United States signed the Treaty of Peace and Friendship with the Barbary Pirates, in Article 11 it states that the United States was not founded as a Christian religion (Avalon). This article has been used by many non-religious groups to base their opinions on. Today, there are groups like Freedom from Religion, the Humanist Society, and the American Civil Liberties Union that have fought every type of religious belief in the public square. In recent history, the Vinson, Warren, Burger, Rehnquist, and Roberts courts have issued several decisions that have restricted religion in the public square. Those courts had a landmark case regarding faith, Vinson had Everson, Warren had Engel and Abington, Burger had Lemon, Rehnquist had Santa Fé,......middle of paper......lan Shank. You decide! Controversial cases in American politics. Lanham Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2008.Farnsley II, Arthur E. “Faith-Based Politics.”Orkent, Daniel. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. Last Laugh, Inc., 2010. Rosenberg, Joel. Implosion: Can America recover from its economic and spiritual challenges in time? Carol Stream, Illinois: Tyndale House Publisher, 2012.Rudd, Kevin. "Faith in politics". The Monthly 17 (2006): 22-30Schaeffer, Francis. How then should we live?: The rise and fall of Western thought and culture. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2005. Schaeffer, Francis. A Christian manifesto. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2005. United States, . The Avalon Project, "Treaty of Peace and Friendship". Last modified 2008. Accessed November 14, 2013. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/bar1796t.asp.