What is the meaning of separation of church and state?

Question

Are those words actually in our Constitution? Where did they origanaly come from?

Answer 1

they aren't in the constitution. they are from a letter Jefferson wrote to Danbury Baptist Church..."a wall of separation" between church and state.

it was meant to keep the state out of the Church, which was the problem faced by the separatists and protestants when they left England.

it's taken out of context, misused, twisted, and selfishly given meaning it never had.

Answer 2

As I understand it, that phrase was from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to a group of Baptists. Not the Constitution.

"What is the meaning of separation of church and state?"

The founding fathers were not that far away in time to the Inquisitions of the Roman Catholic Church, and the other atrocities that occured with the Anglicans and other religious organizations. They knew that it was a mistake for the governing body to make any 'church' the recognized official state church. The founding fathers tried to make these United States different than those that made the mistake of doing that. I think that they were right in doing so. Not that they weren't theists of one sort of another, but they were good to recognize the terrible fate that would tear our nation apart were they to make it a theocracy or some sort of government such as that.

It does NOT mean that someone may not pray in a school or other place that is deemed 'public.'

Answer 3

These words are not in our Constitution. They were written in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association 13 years after the Constitution was written. While it is generally believed that Jefferson was the resident expert at the time on separation of church and state, the fact is, he was not even in attendance when the delegates were discussing the religion part of the first amendment. If you look at the actions of Congress for the first 150 years of our nations history, you will find that they really did not embrace this separation. The Congress even endorsed the reading of the Bible in school classrooms, the expense of printing Bibles for the Indians from the national treasury, the opening of Congressional sessions with prayer, the opening of the Supreme Court with the invocation of God's help, the adoption of the motto "In God We Trust", the setting aside of a national day of Thanksgiving, and setting aside national days of prayer. Hardly sounds like they endorsed the separation of church and state, does it?

Answer 4

Separation of church and state means that the government will not mandate nor outlaw any religion.

You will not find it in the main text of the Constitution. That part is mainly about checks and balances, and distribution of legislative power. It is in the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof".

Note that it does NOT say "Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of a particular Christian denomination, or prohibiting the free exercise of all Christian denominations."

Answer 5

They actually aren't in the Constitution. When it was created, it was ment for future generations to fill it in, it only specified the most important disputes at the time.

Now adays people get offended so easily. There has been hangings all over each century of each of the religions in this world (maybe not all, but most of the main ones you hear about). We all believe that we believe in the supreme, divine or human or whatever is the creator of everything (may be more than one of these creators, rulers, etc.). Some people are very defensive of their religon. I think it sort has dawned on our country that they don't want that same problem in our government.(Hangings, disputes, etc.) So, they separated it to try and prevent anything from happening.

Answer 6

No, they were not in the constitution. Those words come from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote. The establishment clause was a restriction on establishing national religion. This restriction applied solely to the federal government since several states at the time had official state religions. The Federal government did support christianity generally since oaths of office are taken on the bible; Congress is started with prayer; and congress may exercise powers to support the health, safety and MORALS.

Answer 7

The phrase "separation of church and state" is derived from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to a group identifying themselves as the Danbury Baptists. In that letter, quoting the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, he writes: "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."


The belief that religious and state institutions should be separate covers a wide spectrum, ranging between one extreme which would secularize or eliminate the church, and theocracy, in which the government is an affiliate of the church. Some secularists believe that the state should be kept entirely separate from religion, and that the institutions of religion should be entirely free from governmental interference. Churches that exercise their authority completely apart from government endorsement, whose foundations are not in the state, are conventionally called "Free" churches.

A secular government does not cite a specific religious institution for the justification of its authority. However, some secular governments claim quasi-religious justifications for their powers, emphasizing the relationship mainly for ceremonial and rhetorical purposes. This is done for the general welfare and the benefit of the state, does not necessarily favor any specific religious group, and the state does not conform to any doctrine other than its own. This arrangement is called civil religion. Some secularists would allow the state to encourage religion (such as by providing exemptions from taxation, or providing funds for education and charities, including those that are "faith based"), but insist the state should not establish one religion as the state religion, require religious observance, or legislate dogma.


The separation of church and state is similar to the concept of freedom of religion, but the two concepts are not the same. For example, the citizens in a country with a state church may have complete freedom of religion. And citizens in a country without a state church may or may not enjoy the freedom to practice their religion. In the United States, the structure and wording of the First Amendment with both the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause, demonstrates this difference. Both clauses have evolved an important body of case law from the U.S. Supreme Court as well as lower federal courts.

While many states or nations permit freedom of religious belief, no country allows completely unrestricted freedom of religious practice. National laws, when they reflect important or fundamental governmental interests, may prohibit certain acts which some citizens may claim represent the free exercise of their religious belief.

In the United States, state laws can prohibit practices such as bigamy, sex with children, human and occasionally animal sacrifice, use of drugs, or other criminal acts, even if citizens claim the practices are part of their religious belief system. However, the federal courts give close scrutiny to any state or local laws that impinge upon the bona fide exercise of religious practices. The courts ensure that genuine and important religious rights are not impeded, and that questionable practices are limited only to the extent necessary. The courts usually demand that any laws restricting religious practices must demonstrate a fundamental or "compelling" state interest, such as protecting citizens from bodily harm. See Free Exercise Clause for further discussion.

Answer 8

Mr. President

To messers Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, & Stephen S. Nelson a committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut.

Gentlemen

The affectionate sentiments of esteem & approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful & zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more & more pleasing.

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man & his god, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state. [Congress thus inhibited from acts respecting religion, and the Executive authorised only to execute their acts, I have refrained from presenting even occasional performances of devotion presented indeed legally where an Executive is the legal head of a national church, but subject here, as religious exercises only to the voluntary regulations and discipline of each respective sect.] Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.

I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem.

(signed) Thomas Jefferson
Jan.1.1802.

Answer 9

the seperation of church and state simply means that the state cannot force a religion on us. and by state, i mean the Country. our government.
this is quite possibly, the best concept ever birthed. why? because in the united states, there are christians. there are satanists. there are wiccans, there are muslims, Hindi's, Asatruars, pagans, the list goes on. hundreds of faiths, allowed to coexist, because of this wonderful concept.
if there isn't a seperation of church and state, one faith would mobilize to crush the other. this has been seen in history time and time again. Millions have died, Pagans for not converting to Christianity, Christians for not following whatever god(s) the area they lived in followed (such as Roman gods, or the like) Christians have slaughtered Jews, Muslims have slaughtered Jews and Christians, Jews have slaughtered Christians, it's very sad, really. which is why church and state being seperate is such a beautiful thing.

Answer 10

No, that phrase does not.
But the first ammendment that refers to church and state means that the government is not to establish an official religion, or appear to do so by favoring one over another.
It's just common sense that that would mean no public monies should be used for monuments or symbols of a particular faith.