It is safe to say there is a titanic clash in our culture today about the concept of “Separation of Church and State”. Most Americans think that this phrase is found in the US Constitution. Nothing comes close.
The First Amendment of the Constitution does state that
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”
A thoughtful reading of this amendment makes it clear that it was simply and powerfully intended to keep Congress from making any religious laws. So if Congress makes no law, then there is absolutely no jurisdiction for the federal government to rule on anything in respect to how citizens of states, counties, and local government express their religious speech in public life.
So where does the phrase, “Separation of Church and State” actually come from? It comes from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association in Connecticut assuring them that they would continue to have religious freedom in their state.
In it’s proper understanding, Jefferson was actually making the case of “Separation of State from Church” That the State should do nothing to micro manage the affairs of the church or in the affairs of a self-governing people to express their faith in all aspects of their life – including their civic life.
The founders never intended that God would be separated from government.
However in the 1940s the Supreme Court created a new political doctrine out of nothing by simply quoting the Jefferson letter out of context.
Moreover today, we have a complete violation of the first amendment where unelected judges and officials have established “Secular Humanism” as the religion of the United States and forced this statute on all the public schools and local, county, and state governments.
This series explores this in great detail
- Separation of Church and State 01 – What The Constitution Actually Says and Means–8m
- Separation of Church and State 02 – Where the Phrase Comes From–Short–3m
- Separation of Church and State 03 – Where Phrase Comes From–Long Version–10m
- Separation of Church and State 04 – A New Political Doctrine Created by Judges–13m
- Separation of Church and State 05 – Secular Humanism as a Religion–4m
- Separation of Church and State 06 – Secular Humanism Militant–5m
- Separation of Church and State 07 – Secular Humanism The Loss of Freedom–4m
- Separation of Church and State 08 – The Established Religion of Public Schools–6m
- Separation of Church and State 09 – Secular Humanism vs Founders Worldview–4m
- Separation of Church and State 10 – Fear-mongering for Power–3m