Abstract: One of the enduring problems in the Western political tradition has been reconciling the transcendent claims of religion with the political needs of the state. From Antigone’s defiant stand to the wars of religion to contemporary concerns about the combustible mix of politics and religion, the theologico-political problem is fueled by competing claims for the allegiance of a political community's citizens. This dissertation considers how this volatile relationship has been treated by three major figures in Western political thought: John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Rawls. The legitimating power of religion has been both a support and a threat to political power. These thinkers offer different conceptions of the problem and therefore present different solutions for our consideration.