Why do many neoconservatives support the separation of church and state?

Neoconservatives generally support the principle of the separation of church and state, as established in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, because they recognize the dual nature of religion in society.1

While neoconservatives view religion as a vital "social cement" that helps unite families, communities, and nations by providing a sense of the transcendent, they also acknowledge that religion can be fanatical, intolerant, and divisive when it becomes too closely intertwined with political power. By maintaining a separation, they aim to preserve the beneficial, stabilizing influence of faith while preventing the social fragmentation that can occur when religious institutions become instruments of political conflict.1

It is important to note that while they support this constitutional principle, many neoconservatives criticize modern liberals for pursuing the separation to an extreme degree, which they argue has resulted in the unfair exclusion of religion from public life and triggered a reactionary backlash from the religious right.1