Originally posted by SaburoS
That folks, falls under "Establishing Religion". I don't want to waste my tax dollars in that way. There are private funded schools for that. For religion, practice it in your places of worship, at home, whatever. Just don't force it on those that don't share your same religious views.
I hold the "Separation of Church and State" (Sorry DREDIOCK, it's a semantics thing) as a very strong positive of our government and our way of life. I'll fight tooth and nail the intrusion of the govt into our churches as well, out of respect and my sense of duty as an American citizen. It's all part of "protect and Defend the Constitution of the United States".
The above IMHO.
Its " An establishment of religion" Not "establishing religion".
Its meaning is there is to be no national church such as "The Church of England" as being the only "legal" religion
There is no "separation of church and state" Its not there.
Nowhere in the consitution does it say that
where we get that phrase from is from a statement made by Jefferson and is commonly misinterpreted.
Where it comes from and what it actually means is this.
"The statement about a wall of separation between church and state was made in a letter on January 1, 1802, by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut. The congregation heard a widespread rumor that the Congregationalists, another denomination, were to become the national religion. This was very alarming to people who knew about religious persecution in England by the state established church. Jefferson made it clear in his letter to the Danbury Congregation that the separation was to be that government would not establish a national religion or dictate to men how to worship God. Jefferson's letter from which the phrase "separation of church and state" was taken affirmed first amendment rights. Jefferson wrote:
"
I contemplate with solemn 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. (1) The reason Jefferson choose the expression "separation of church and state" was because he was addressing a Baptist congregation; a denomination of which he was not a member.
Jefferson wanted to remove all fears that the state would make dictates to the church. Contrary to what you probably beleive I am hardly what anyone would call religious. Couldnt tell you the last time I was in a church and I dont like nor do I feel comfortble going into one.
I dont feel the need or the desire to go into a room with a group of people and pray and/or talk about god.
I am spiritual to an extent. But not religious
What I do beleive though is that the consitution should be gone by its original intent and not twisted to what we want it to mean to suit our momentary desires which seems to be becomming more and more commonplace.
Like it or not. agree with it or not but this country its govermental system and its laws were founded largly on religious beleifs.
If the government were telling us. "This (insert specific religion here) is the only legal religion and this is the one you must go by and follow." I would agree. But they are not.
And that was what the original intent of that ammendment was.
If the original intention of the founding fathers and writers of the consitution were to keep god out of government entirely. All these things I mentioned before. "in god we trust" "The Ten commandments" "In the year of our lord" prayer before official meetings. The hiring of a congrsional chaplin. Swearing into office over a bible, Swearing over a bible in the courtrooms. and almost countless other things Would never ever have been allowed in the first place.
But they were. So we can only conclude that keeping god or religion entirely out of goverment was never ever the intent of the first ammendment or the writers therof.
