wheelgun1958 wrote:chamberc wrote:I think a lot of this confusion surrounds Jefferson's non binding writings regarding "separation of church and state". There is no such law regarding "separation of church and state", only against the establishment of religion.
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." -John Adams
...nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
That's the problem... you tell a lie long enough and often enough... people begin to believe that lie as truth.
The problem with many Americans is that they are ignorant. That's right, I said it... Ignorant.
Many are ignorant of the
Truth... of what IS in the constitution and what is NOT. Many are ignorant of the amendments as well.
First Amendment - Religion and Expression
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
What does the phrase mean today as it is applied in American public policy?
The First Amendment, which prohibited any "law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," has evolved into something entirely new. During the last generation, the courts, at all levels, have ruled in ways that essentially guarantee the freedom
from religion, instead of the freedom
of religion.
The doctrine of "separation of church and state" has been used, and is being used, to effectively purge religion from the public square. The historical perspective on church/state issues reveals a much different story. The government was to accommodate the religious communities; religion and religious expression were to be encouraged.
