2007-05-11 08:32:49 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Other - Politics & Government
As the letter someone pasted, that uses the "wall of separation" phrase, says, it's a matter of freedom of conscience; the idea that it's wrong for a government to try to force people to believe this or that, or punish them for their beliefs.
When they included the phrase "and secure he blessings of liberty" in the Preamble to the Constitution, they meant it to include the freedom to use one's own mind.
If we don't have that freedom, what freedom DO we have?
2007-05-11 11:57:29 · answer #1 · answered by tehabwa 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It skill that the government won't be able to impose any non secular ideals upon the electorate of the country. Nor can it want any faith over yet another in any way. @no1home2day: "It says no longer something in any respect with regard to the church influencing government; only that government can no longer effect the church!" that's finished nonsense. If a church can effect the government, it may get the government to impose the ideals of the church on the final inhabitants. yet whilst the government can impose the ideals of a church on the final inhabitants, or perhaps on different church homes, we've not got separation of church and state and we've not got freedom of religion. the 1st area of the 1st modification states "Congress shall make no regulation respecting a company of religion." That desirable there refutes what @no1home2day says.
2016-10-15 09:48:51 · answer #2 · answered by misconis 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Two main reasons.
First - the States COULD dictate a state religeon (before the sep church/state was applied to them later on), and so, to get the states to agree to the constitution, the framers put this in to gaurantee that the feds would not choose one. Each of the 13 had a different religeon.
Second - it was during the age of Enlightenment. Religeon was on a downward trend, and people didnt take the bible as seriously. Most of the framers were deists - believe in god, but not the bible - reason and logic fill in the rest. Examples are Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin. They in particular didnt want a national religeon.
Ultimately though, I believe the 1st reason is the primary one - it was a compromise in order to get the constitution passed. So although many believe it, this was not founded as a Christian nation.
It wasnt until the Federal government took over more of life in the 1940, 1950's, and the age of television portrayed a simple Christian household that the assumption was that we were a Christian nation.
2007-05-11 20:20:05 · answer #3 · answered by Simon H 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, they were using England as a model, and that country went through some horrific conflicts over religion. The establishment of the Curch of England as the official state religion could be seen as a reason for some of them.
That might have something to do with it.
There's also the standard line that many people came to America fleeing religious persecution, and wanted to avoid that, here.
2007-05-11 08:48:09 · answer #4 · answered by B.Kevorkian 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some of you people still don't understand. Our founders
were all very religious people who belived in God. It is
not separation of church and state that's written, as the
founders did NOT want our nation to abdicate a National
Religion or State Religion (where everyone had to worship
as the Nation would tell us to), and that's the way it has been.
The founders were very smart people. The citizens in
America can go to whichever church or synagogue that
they want to, or not go at all. That is freedom of religion.
Separation of church and state equals freedom "from"
religion. Only in the last couple of years has things
changed by liberals who want to take religion and churches
out of the Nation making us all Atheist and doing away with
all the traditions and Holidays set down by our founding fathers and practiced in America all the years since then.
Now, some people want to change all that by advicating
"separation of church and state". Hope you understand
it all now as I've outlined.
2007-05-11 08:47:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
Because of their experience with countries in Europe that the governments forced certain religions on the people. They didn't want that to happen in the USA.
2007-05-11 08:47:11 · answer #6 · answered by Retired From Y!A 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Founding Fathers were against the establishment of any national religion as in Europe where money went to pay clergy or support a church. If you read the writings of the Founding Fathers, they believed deeply in religion and morality as necessary supports to continue a free society.
2007-05-11 08:39:56 · answer #7 · answered by Rob T 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The only thing they did was prevent the government from creating a state religion, like the Anglican Church in England, and prevent the government from interfering in anybody's right to freely practice religion.
They never meant it to mean that elected officials could not let their personal faith guide their decisions.
2007-05-11 08:40:12 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
So that there would be no official religion of the United States like there was in England.
2007-05-11 08:51:39 · answer #9 · answered by Marcus 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
mainly to keep us from becoming like so many other countries and having one religion ruling the goverment and that would do away with the freedom of religion if it were to happen. for example the Roman Catholics
2007-05-11 08:51:51 · answer #10 · answered by goodins2 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋