SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE
Every American believes in it, but do they all mean the same thing?
Many Americans believe that, “separation of church and state,” appears in either the Declaration of Independence, or the US Constitution. Maybe there is an amendment?
The fact is that this phrase doesn’t appear in any of our founding documents, and has no governing authority, of any kind, in American governance.
As constitutionalists, many Americans understand it as Thomas Jefferson meant it in his letter to the Danbury Baptists. His purpose was to affirm to them that the constitution would reject the authority of the federal government to inhibit religious observances. The Baptists were concerned that the new US government would devolve into an enemy of freedom of religion, and this phrase was intended to assure them that this could not occur. As we look back, we can understand that their concern was poignant.
The atheist believes that this phrase means that no religious organization has any rights, or authority in the civic society.
Other belief systems may fall somewhere between these two, but these two options fairly represent the way most Americans believe.
After many decades of indoctrination, through our education system, cultural decay, and anti religious activism, many God-fearing Christians believe that religious activity is forbidden in the town square, and must be restricted to within our homes, and churches.
This concept is rarely debated in good faith, and I believe rarely is the Christian view argued to the point of resolution. I probably won’t do much better, if better at all, but I will give it my best try.
Most of the framers of the Constitution were Bible believers, and many, were descendants of settlers who migrated to the new world to escape religious tyranny. Religious freedom was top of mind for nearly every one of those who participated in debates over, and signed the US Constitution. There are no founding era documents evident of a desire to restrict religious activity, or its involvement in government. Instead, men like John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin, (often said to be the among the least religious among our founders,) spoke of the need for men of virtue, and reliance on the power of God.
It was Ben Franklin who reminded the members of the Constitutional Convention, during the convention, of the constant reliance upon the grace of God, through daily prayer during the revolutionary period.
It was John Adams who said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
I remind you that these were considered, the least religious of our founding fathers.
To this day, Congress opens with a prayer. The early text book of public education was the Bible.
The Ten Commandments were posted on the walls of court houses for many decades, throughout the US, even until recently.
In short, The first amendment to the Constitution clearly states, “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.”
The opening phrase, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” denies the federal government any authority over religion, its practices, or its traditions. It does not restrict any authority of religion over government. Taken together with John Adams’ quote, we find that our founders believed that the church’s authority over government was, and now is, essential.
In other words, though some believe that there is a mutual restriction on religion, and government toward the other, this is clearly NOT what the text of the Constitution says. While the text denies government authority over religion, there is no such restriction to religion over government. One must deliberately misread the text in order to believe that it does.
Please ponder these points, and refer to original documents for clarification. I believe you will agree.
God bless you, Dave