Separation of Church and State

I am so tired of people using this phrase, its become ridiculously stupid... All because a group of Justices referred to it, EVERYONE thinks its in the Constitution... WELL IT'S NOT!!!!!!!!

Here allow me...

When un-educated people refer to this phrase, they are referring to a part of the Bill of Rights. IN particular it is the First Amendment. Here is what it says:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

In particular, those who use it point to this part of the above... "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." Let's break this down...

There are two key words here that has everyone confused...
First 'respecting'...
re·spect·ing: (preposition) about or relating to (something) : with respect to (something)

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/respecting

 

So with that in mind let's begin to translate the sentence... Congress shall make no law about/relating to... Ok next key word. 'establishment'...

 

es·tab·lish·ment (noun) \i-ˈsta-blish-mənt\
1: something established: as
 a: a settled arrangement; especially: a code of laws 
 b: established church 
 c: a permanent civil or military organization 
 d: a place of business or residence with its furnishings and staff 
 e: a public or private institution
2: an established order of society: as 
 a (often capitalized): a group of social, economic, and political leaders who form a ruling class (as of a nation) 
 b (often capitalized): a controlling group <the literary establishment>
3a: the act of establishing 
 b: the state of being established

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/establishment

 

OK translation continues... Congress shall make no law about/relating to any all-ready existing religion or creating/setting up a religion...

 

THIS DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SEPARATING CHURCH AND STATE!!! In my own layman terms... This essentially says that Congress can not touch religion and it can not setup a religion, declaring it the "State's" religion. You all remember what country we fought the Revolutionary war against??? Does ANY of that sound familiar??? It should.

 

The phrase separation of church and state comes from Thomas Jefferson. The text of that letter is below:

 

"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 and 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 and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, & in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and 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, & 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 & State. 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 & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem."

(signed) Thomas Jefferson
Jan.1.1802.

http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html

A group of Supreme Court Justices used this above letter in their ruling. In the case Everson v. Board of Education (1947), the case was brought by a New Jersey taxpayer against a tax funded school district that provided reimbursement to parents of both public and private schooled children taking the public transportation system to school. The taxpayer contended that reimbursement given for children attending private religious schools violated the constitutional prohibition against state support of religion, and the taking of taxpayers' money to do so violated the constitution's Due Process Clause. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everson_v._Board_of_Education) In Everson v. Board of Education (1947), the United States Supreme Court was asked to interpret the First Amendment's prohibition on laws "respecting an establishment of religion." "In the words of Jefferson," the justices famously declared, the First Amendment "was intended to erect ‘a wall of separation between church and State'...[that] must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach." (http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2006/06/the-mythical-wall-of-separation-how-a-misused-metaphor-changed-church-state-law-policy-and-discourse)

I agree with these Justice's interpretation in that the Government can not say this religion is official and allowed and another is not. This DOESN'T have anything to do with Nativity scenes being on military bases or cross-memorials being on public land. This is about a Government, OURS, saying that this religion is the 'official' one OR creating laws that will prevent/harm religions that are already in existence. OH! And by the way, when it says religion, it's not just referring to just Christianity; it also means Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, etc... ALL RELIGION IS PROTECTED from being ruled by the Government OR being taken over by it.

So please educate yourself and others, don't let the less-informed make their silly attempts to conform you to lunacy. Don't check you brains at the door!

PEACE & Merry Christmas.