No Such Clause

The supposed “Separation of Church and State” clause in the First Amendment is false and is not written anywhere in the Constitution. The First Amendment prohibits Congress from establishing an official religion (Farager 216), ie, a “Church of the United States”. English citizens were required to be members of the Church of England and King George was the “Defender of the (Christian) Faith”. Most proponents of the "Separation" clause claim the First Amendment contains the idea of a "Wall between Church and State", but not the wording as such.

Two clauses in the First Amendment guarantee freedom of religion. The establishment clause prohibits the government from passing legislation to establish an official religion or preferring one religion over another. It enforces the "separation of church and state."(Cornell Law)

Where does the Constitution state a separation, there is no “Separation of and State Clause”. This is an interpretation, a wrong interpretation, from the ACLU and others who want to take religion out of the American institution. Our founders were believers of God and the bible, they also knew that for us to be free, we should be able to interpret the bible as individuals, not have the government to tell us what the bible writes. In addition, as free men and women, we are to be free to practice any religion or no religion at all. This was the intention of the Framers, not to have the State tell us what religion to practice.

We have a national holiday of Christmas; we have a National Christmas tree, most cities have a Nativity scene on public property. Public funds are used to support some programs in parochial schools. We have “In God We Trust” on our money; we have the Star of David and the Islamic Crescent on some of our war dead gravestones, along with Christian crosses. Those who are “offended” when they are subjected to the above “atrocities” are both insulting and ridiculous, if a Christmas tree offends them, then they shouldn’t look at it.

We are guaranteed the rights to worship any religion we choose or no religion. I was “subjected” to school prayer as a grade school student. We were given time to go to the Protestant or Catholic service every Thursday or to recess; we were given a choice. It seems that when we had prayer time in classes, corporal punishment in school, mandatory dress codes, and parental participation, our schools were safer and kids respected teachers and each other alike. Without those tools, we have guns and killings and rampant crime in schools, thanks to the Radical Leftists who want religion out of their (and our) daily lives. However, shouldn’t that be “Our Choice” as the Framers wanted?

A transcript of the letter sent to Danbury Baptist from Jefferson in which the phrase “Separation of Church and State” comes from:

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.
Th Jefferson
Jan. 1. 1802.


First Amendment Overview. Cornel Law. http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/First_amendment

Faragher.J.M., Buhle, M.J., Czitrom, D. and Armitage, S.H. Out of Many: A History of the American People. 5th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2007.

Jefferson's letter to Danbury Baptists. Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html