On the Separation of Church and State

Why would the founders of this nation put in the Constitution a separation of church and state?

Why not synagogue and state? Why not mosque and state?

Because they didn't put separation of church and state in the Constitution! There is no mention of the words "Separation of Church and State" in the Constitution. The phrase "wall of separation between church and state" comes from a letter by then-President Thomas Jefferson to a Connecticut Baptist Church. There was a fear of the establishment of a national church much like the Church of England. To see the letter from the Danbury Baptists to Jefferson and his response go here.

Speaking of Jefferson, while President of the United States, he was elected the first president of the Washington, D.C. public schools board where he made the Bible required reading in the classroom. With this fact in mind, why would a man who required the Bible in public schools also think that religion didn't belong in any public arena? What did Jefferson mean by "wall of separation between church and state"? Did he mean to protect the Government (public) from religion? No. He wrote this to keep the state from telling the church what it can and cannot do. That includes what it can and cannot do on public property.

Ok. With that said, what does the constitution actually say about this and what restrictions does the constitution put on religion? Here is what it says: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This means that only Congress is restricted. Congress cannot do two things. They cannot establish a national religion and they cannot prohibit us from expressing our religious beliefs ... anywhere!

So who is stopping Christians from putting a Crèche on the town hall lawn and who is taking down the 10 Commandments from court buildings? Primarily it is the atheist lawyers in the ACLU and the atheist judges that agree with them. These people are bent on removing all Judeo-Christian influence from all public life. Alan Keyes stated, "What we are seeing is an effort to impose a uniformed national regime of atheism."

What bothers me more and more is the prohibition of anything Christian from our public schools. Recently The Thomas More Law Center sued New York City for prohibiting the display of Nativity scenes in public schools, despite the fact that they allow the Menorah and the Islamic Star and Crescent to be displayed. Getting down to brass tacks, there is no provision in the constitution for providing a public school system. Public schools are funded primarily from the local public. Our public schools are not federal government (state) schools. So why can't religious values be displayed/taught in public schools? There is no reason.

It all comes down to the fact that there is no law against religious citizens professing their reverence to God in public places. The ACLU, atheist judges and anti-Christians all across this country have obfuscated this entire debate and have sold many of us in the Church a bill of goods and frankly they are winning. Knowing the truth, we must reverse these trends or we will continue to lose the soul of our nation.

I would like to suggest two sources that cover this battle quite thoroughly:

• Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity by David Limbaugh
• Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State by Daniel L. Dreisbach

[Orginally written Monday, October 27, 2003]