by Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

Separation Of Church And State

Almost everybody has a concept of what this means. As a phrase this is bandied about with abandon… usually by people who have slightly different understandings of what it means. I have heard religious leaders claim that the “Separation of Church and State” clause is a one-way street designed to keep the Government out of the Church, but not the Church out of he Government.

I have also heard it argued the other way as well. The “Separation of Church and State” is specifically designed to keep the Church out of our Government. Since both positions cannot be correct, let’s examine some facts and see which position has merit. First, where does the whole “Separation of Church and State” come from. Ironically enough, it comes directly from the very first Amendment to our Constitution.

First Amendment to the United States Constitution – Part of the “Bill of Rights.”

“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.”

Notice that you do not see the phrase, “Separation of Church and State.” So where did this concept come from?

History of the Separation Of Church and State

For those who do not study history, the present is often shrouded in mystery and appears to be a random series of disparate events that seem to intervene without reason in their daily lives. The very act of reading requires interpretation. When you read you are not only recognizing the words on a page or screen, you’re interpreting their meanings. Thus when we turn to the United States Constitution, we also take into account the intentions of those who actually wrote it.

Framers drafting the Constitution

What did the “framers” have in mind when they wrote the “First Amendment?” What they wrote, what they deemed important was determined by their own history and world view. Most people understand that many of the original colonist, were fleeing religious persecution in the “Old World.” They had seen first hand what happens when religion and government share a bed together. Many had lost relatives to various “Inquisitions.” This wasn’t some theoretical bogeyman, they’d met him and knew he was very real.

Thus it is small surprise that when they framed the Constitution, they included a special section known as “The Bill of Rights.” The very first amendment in this section covers and protects those freedoms they believed were most important. Yes, even more important than firearms ownership and being able to protect their lives and the lives of their families. They covered firearms in the “Second Amendment,” not the First.

When we look at the wording of the “First Amendment,” It is helpful to read the discourses of the man who wrote it: None other than Thomas Jefferson. In a letter dated to 1802, written by Thomas Jefferson to the “Danbury Baptist Association” of Connecticut, Jefferson wrote:

Thomas Jefferson

“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.”   _Thomas Jefferson

If there was any doubt as to intent, Thomas Jefferson spells it out plainly. The “First Amendment” was designed – amongst other things – to build a wall of separation between Church and State.

Separation Of Church And State – It’s Necessary

Michael Angelo’s The Creation Of Adam

It is a flaw in human nature to assume that things will remain in the future as they are today. Christians who are the predominate religion in the United States, are all for things like prayer in schools, passing laws that fit their Biblical understanding of morality and having various

Science In The Classroom

Biblical doctrines taught in our schools. “Creationism” is but one such example. What they never stop to think is, what if over time things change? Our population is growing, views are changing. What happens if some other religion becomes the predominate religion in this country? Would they be equally comfortable with our laws being changed to reflect a new reality? Would they be comfortable with their children going to school and being asked to pray to a different God?

These things are imminently possible, though rarely considered. The protections of the First Amendment with respect to Religion, actually do quite a bit to protect Christians. People who embrace other faiths are just as devout, just as convinced of their “truth” as any Christian is of theirs.

War On Christianity?

Blue Laws are the results of Religion forcing it’s self on our secular society.

It is popular today to pretend there is a war on the Christian faith. It is just that, pretending. It is not a war when people push back against anyone – Christians in particular – who try to force their religious beliefs and practices on our secular society. “Blue Laws” are an excellent example of this. They don’t actually work and are more of a nuisance than anything else. The outlawing of Liquor sales on Sundays is a result of Christians forcing their religious beliefs onto secular society. If you don’t want to drink Liquor on Sunday, then don’t! However, why are you trying to force your religious ideologies on me?

The End Of Christianity

Yet another fallen Idol! You’d think they’d remember prohibitions against idolatry?

When the Christian Church attempts to hijack our legal system and bend it to their ideology, what they’re really admitting is that they have embraced a failed philosophy and in their hearts they know what they’re proclaiming to be fact, verified by faith, is nothing more than a myth. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot proclaim a sovereign deity, monitoring and in control of everything, then in the very next breath, say we as human beings need to enact laws to force everyone to fulfil His will. If you truly believe that God is in control, take your hands off the wheel! If you cannot do that, then perhaps you should keep your religion and your faith to yourself. The Separation of Church and State is Necessary!