Oftentimes we think of the United States being a secular country requiring separation between church and state. While this is true through the US Constitution’s freedom of religion and no-establishment clauses, it is also true that Christianity has been and continues to be a significant force shaping national identity and public life. Turkey is likewise a constitutionally secular country, yet its majority faith of Islam continues to shape political culture in important ways.

When we think of nations like Turkey, we do not often think about the US being similar. However, by examining how in the US and Turkey religious values influence public debate, we can see how the religious beliefs of citizens continue to shape culture and public life even within constitutionally secular nations.

With the variety of different religions and worldviews in America today, the influence of Christianity on many of the country’s ideals can get lost. Linkages between Christianity and national identity evolved during the colonial period and became particularly evident in the Revolutionary era. Many colonists understood their settlement through a Christian worldview and divine calling, and interpreted victory in the Revolution as evidence of divine providence. Over time many Americans came to believe their country had a special role in the world—often interpreting John Winthrop’s famous scriptural quotation of “a city on a hill” as applying to national identity and purpose.

Many key founding figures were Christians who also believed strongly in religious freedom for all, and understood this freedom as both required by the faith and in the best interest of faith. The Constitution established a secular government while protecting religious freedom, allowing Christianity to continue shaping American society without becoming the nation’s official religion. Although Christianity was never established as the national religion, Christian ideas continued to influence American culture and identity long after the nation’s founding.

Contemporary American society continues to show commitment to religious freedom and non-establishment, yet also continued cultural and political influence of Christianity. A recent poll from the Pew Research Center shows that in 2026 only 13% (down from 19% in 2021) say the government should stop enforcing separation of church and state. And a huge majority (79%) say houses of worship should not support candidates in elections. However, at the same time a large minority (43%) say the government should promote Christian moral values, albeit without making Christianity the official religion. When it comes to understanding religious influences in public debate in America we should also note Pew’s finding that there has been a small uptick in the number of Americans that desire for the federal government to declare Christianity the nation’s official religion—from 13% in 2024 to 17%. Furthermore, the percentage of Americans who say religion is gaining influence on the US has risen to 56%.  Although only a small minority of Americans support declaring Christianity the nation’s official religion, the polling demonstrates that religion continues to influence how many citizens think about public life and political issues.

Historically in Turkey, religion and political identity became closely connected during the Ottoman Empire, and this relationship persisted despite later secular reforms under the Kemalist Republic. During the Ottoman Empire, religion and political identity were united through the Ottoman Millet System. Within this system, people were grouped based on religious community rather than ethnicity. As a result, Islam became closely connected with Turkish political and social identity. Not only did Muslim citizens objectively identify with the Islamic religion, but in a more emotional sense this idea of belonging was also a contributor to adhering to this system.

During the twentieth century, Turkey attempted to separate religion from the state through the reforms of the Kemalist Republic. These reforms included removing Islam as the state religion and restricting some religious institutions. Despite these reforms, many scholars argue that religion remained central to Turkish identity. Many citizens continued to identify strongly with Islam despite the state’s secular reforms. Although the Kemalist Republic legally separated religion from the state, many citizens continued to view Islam as critical to Turkish identity. Similar to the US, constitutional secularism did not eliminate the cultural influence of the majority faith.

While Turkey and the US do not share a similar path to religion being expressed, there are parallels to be drawn regarding the shared national narrative and the influence religious values have in public debates and conversation. The citizens of Turkey still carry the national narrative created during the time of the Ottoman empire in their desire to preserve religious history. As seen in recent discussion over the purpose of the Hagia Sophia, we can see the desire of many citizens of Turkey, which reveals the narrative they are expressing nationally. In a Time magazine article “Turkey Torn on Whether Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia Should Be a Museum or a Mosque,” the article first covers the history of how the Hagia Sophia became a mosque in 1453. To an extent, the mosque was a symbol of Christian-Islamic rivalry. In 1934, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk envisioned modern Turkey as a secular nation and ordered the Mosque to be turned into a museum. However, polls suggest that slightly more Turkish people at large support the Hagia Sophia becoming a mosque rather than opposing it. Although Turkey remains constitutionally secular and polls continue to show that large majorities of Turkish citizens approve of living in a secular state, many citizens continue to view Islam as an important part of the country’s cultural and historical identity.

In Turkey, as in the US, we are also seeing growing manifestations of religious nationalism. Islamist political parties like the National Order Party, Salvation Party, and Virtue Party, were banned, but such movements are indicative of sentiment in favor of a strong role for Islam in public life, as are the religious nationalist elements of the AKP. The existence of these parties demonstrates that Islamic values continue to influence democratic politics even within a constitutionally secular system. Rather than fully eliminating religion from public life, secularization has transformed the way religious ideas enter political discussions. In both countries, citizens continue to shape public life through their religious values.

Although the US and Turkey differ significantly in their histories and religious traditions, both demonstrate the inability for constitutional secularism to remove religion from public life. Instead, the beliefs of citizens continue to shape cultural identity and public debate. All in all, the character of a nation is revealed not only through its laws but through the beliefs, values, and traditions its people continue to carry forward.