church and state
Reader comment on item: Islam and Islamism - Faith and Ideology
in response to reader comment: Separation of Church and State

Submitted by truthseekers (United States), Nov 20, 2008 at 09:49

The phrase "Separation of Church and State" appears nowhere within the United States Constitution or the Bill of Rights. (As a note of interest, the phrase is found in Article 52 of the Constitution of the Former Soviet Union.) How then did this absurd notion become so ingrained into America's legal system? Where did it come from?

At the time of the writing of our Constitution, all individual states encouraged Christianity, but no state allowed an exclusive state-sponsored denomination. Citizens still recalled abuses where the Church of England maintained an iron hand over the laws and people of that land.
In 1802 the Danbury Baptists expressed their concern over the rumor that there was soon to be a "state religion" established in America. President Thomas Jefferson, calmed their fears in a lengthy letter by stating:

"I contemplate the American People who declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of a religion, thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."

Jefferson's words of assurance to the Danbury Baptists were soon forgotten since the rumor never became a reality. The letter then reappeared in the 1878 case of Reynolds v. United States. In that case Jefferson's intent was clearly presented, in context, as an attempt to keep government from prohibiting the "religious practice of polygamy". The court ruled that this practice was a violation of the Constitution because it violated the basic Christian principles, which the government was intended to defend.
Almost 70 years passed before, in Eveson v. Board of Education, the Jefferson letter surfaced
again. However, this time the court just took eight words, out of context, for their battle-cry. Those decision on the matter, and concisely articulated the Court's plan to isolate Christianity from public affairs. Literally thousands of cases existed in which the Court had previously declared America to be a Christian nation as our Founders had intended. Consider their thoughts:
"It is impossible to rightly govern without God and the Bible. Let us cautiously indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. The lack of a Christian upbringing would destroy the morality of the nation." George Washington
"This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, upon the gospel of Jesus
Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and
freedom of worship here." Patrick Henry
"The only assurance of our nation's safety is to lay our foundation within the Christian religion."
Abraham Lincoln
"Let my neighbor persuade himself that there is no God, and he will soon pick my pocket, or break my neck. If there be no God, there is no law, no future accounting. Government then is the ordinance of man only. Man must be controlled either by the Word of God or by the bayonet. We as a people have chosen the Holy Scriptures." Samuel Adams
Once the Court adopted the misquoted portion of Jefferson's letter, it quickly began declaring
voluntary prayer to be unconstitutional. Today it has been deemed unconstitutional for the Ten
Commandments to even be posted in our state run, "public schools." Why are we afraid our children will heed the messages of "Thou shalt not kill," or "Thou shalt not steal?"
"Freedom belongs only to people who are morally responsible. IT is not possible for a people to be corrupt and remain free." James Madison
"If we choose not Biblical principles of law, it is just a matter of time before we lose our
freedom altogether." Supreme Court 1815

http://fourwinds10.com/journals/UnPublished/J110.pdf

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