In the spring of 2022, my wife and I visited England and Scotland. During our three weeks there, we saw a wealth of things, one of my favorite highlights being our tour of Stirling Castle.
It isn’t the largest castle in Scotland by any means, but it was the site of many of the most crucial battles in Scotland’s (failed) fight for continued independence from England. Our tour guide was as enthusiastic as she was knowledgeable about the castle grounds and the historic battles inside and outside its walls.
At one point, our guide explained why the unicorn was a historic symbol of the Scottish people before Scotland was subsumed into the United Kingdom.
For hundreds of years, England used the lion as its symbol, which has long been a symbol of Jesus, the Lion of Judah. As a country governed by the Church, England felt choosing the lion to be its symbol clearly indicated its devotion to God. Since the lion was also known as the king of the jungle, the creature also depicted power—something the English imperial system was bent on attaining and keeping.
Scotland was committed to maintaining its independence from England. In response to England’s threats of dominance, Scotland chose the unicorn as its national symbol. At the time, unicorns were believed not only to be real but also pure white, making them another symbol for Jesus, as the Church put such a heavy emphasis on his purity.
But there was another, more political reason Scotland chose the unicorn as its national symbol: Its horn was long enough to pierce a lion’s heart without being slashed by the lion’s claws. As such, legends say the unicorn is the only animal that can defeat a lion.
In this historical conflict, two countries each used religion as a political tool to say that God was on their own side, not their opponent’s. They had two symbols for presumably the same Jesus, duking out a cosmic conflict via humans on bloody battlefields.
The reality, though, is the rulers of both Scotland and England knew unicorns weren’t real.
After Scotland was subsumed into the United Kingdom, King James VI of Scotland (also known as King James I of England) kept a herd of snow-white deer nearby. Whenever nobles came to visit him, he released the herd–close enough to the castle so the nobles could see them from the windows, but far enough away so the nobles couldn’t tell they were actually deer.
They were told the animals were unicorns, and they believed them. Because of those beliefs, they believed that King James was really blessed by God to rule, and most didn’t seek to overthrow English rule.
This is why we need the separation of church and state. Without this separation, political parties can fool crowds with smoke and mirrors while claiming their agenda–and only their agenda–is a divine ordinance from God.
The separation of church and state isn’t about doubt in God’s ability to lead, but rather the humble realization that our interpretation of God’s will may not be correct. If we are wrong, why make others suffer the consequences of our mistakes?
Taking religion out of the halls of government doesn’t ensure that we’ll make a perfect society, but it enables us to better hear and respond to the concerns of all citizens–not just a chosen few.
As a pastor, that’s the America I want to live in—a place where we are all truly heard and considered equals. I want to live in an America that’s honest about its mistakes and the people it’s hurt, but also makes an effort to make amends.
I don’t want to live in an America where any party tries to convince me that God’s on their side because they “have unicorns.” If we have to lie to ourselves about who we are, who we’ve been, and what resources we have, that’s a pretty good indication that we know our actions aren’t as righteous as we claim they are.
Perhaps the greatest irony of this historical example is that it also contains another sobering truth. When we pit our understanding of Jesus against one another in an attempt to gain power, Jesus gets hurt. Jesus gets hurt because we get hurt, and the image of Christ resides within us all.
We can’t hurt the body of Christ without also hurting Christ himself. Whether that’s the unicorn piercing the lion’s heart or the lion slicing the unicorn’s neck, we weaponize our understanding of Jesus to harm both God’s children and Jesus himself.
As we get deeper into election season, be cautious of anyone who tells you God is on their side. Be wary of those who claim they have the “unicorns” to prove it. Sit with your own discernment as you fact-check politicians’ statements and actions.
I genuinely believe the separation of church and state enhances both institutions. Perhaps we’ll find that such a separation will also improve our own individual faith and political convictions.
A bivocational pastor, writer and spiritual director based in Atlanta, Georgia, she currently works as a Spiritual Director at Reclamation Theology. Cawthon-Freels is the author of Reclamation: A Queer Pastor’s Guide to Finding Spiritual Growth in the Passages Used to Harm Us (Nurturing Faith Books), and a contributing correspondent at Good Faith Media.
