I challenge you to read the Constitution and find "separation of church and state." It is NOT there. Where that came from was a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association. They were concerned that the government might try to establish a national church, and abolish independent ones.
James Madison (one of the Founders) trained for ministry with the Rev. Dr. John Witherspoon, and Madison's writings are replete with declarations of his faith in God and in Christ. In fact, for proof of this, one only need read his letter to Attorney General Bradford wherein Madison laments that public officials are not bold enough about their Christian faith in public and that public officials should be “fervent advocates in the cause of Christ.” And while Madison did allude to a “wall of separation,” contemporary writers frequently refuse to allow Madison to provide his own definition of that “wall.” According to Madison, the purpose of that “wall” was only to prevent Congress from passing a national law to establish a national church, like the one in England.
George Washington - indisputably a constitutional expert - declared that "religion and morality were inseparable from government, and that no true patriot, whether politician or clergyman, would attempt to weaken the relationship between government and the influence of religion and morality."
In fact, the US Supreme Court at one point did rule that the United States was a Christian nation. In their opinion, they state at one point, "These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation. "
Indeed, the term "separation of church and state" didn't appear in the American consciousness until the 1940's, when in the case of Everson v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court declared, “The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach."
So, the idea of a separation of church and state in the way you mean it, is a relatively new concept, constitutionally speaking. The first amendment to the US Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."
2006-07-09 13:30:08
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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