Separation of Church & State

Where Does it Come From

Published on November 29, 2006 By KFC Kickin For Christ In Current Events

Did anyone watch Larry King the other night with James Dobson, Founder of Focus on the Family as his guest? Well I guess James gave his buddy Larry a history lesson on the separation of church and state. I was kind of surprised at what Larry didn't know mostly because he should have done his HW by this time. This issue has been going on now for quite some time now. The courts are clogged with all sorts of cases surrounding the separation of church and state debacle.

How many people don't know that you cannot find the Separation of Church and State in the Consitution? Don't bother checking the bill of rights either. It's not there. Here's how part of the conversation went......

KING: But we have a separation of church and state.
DOBSON: Beg your pardon?
KING: We have a separation of church and state.
DOBSON: Who says?
KING: You don't believe in separation of church and state?
DOBSON: Not the way you mean it. The separation of church and state is not in the Constitution. No, it's not. That is not in the Constitution.
KING: It's in the Bill of Rights.
DOBSON: It's not in the Bill of Rights. It's not anywhere in a foundational document. The only place where the so-called "wall of separation" was mentioned was in a letter written by (Thomas) Jefferson to a friend. That's the only place. It has been picked up and made to be something it was never intended to be.
What it has become is that the government is protected from the church, instead of the other way around, which is that church was designed to be protected from the government.
KING: I'm going to check my history.

Many of us continue to believe the phrase "separation of church and state" is found in the U.S. Constitution, illustrating the need for better history books, or is it the teachers that need to be replaced?

Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore had this to say:

The words 'separation of church and state' are not found in the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence or the Articles of Confederation or any document of our history," he said. "The First Amendment to our Constitution basically embodies a concept of separation -- meaning that the state should stay out of the affairs of the church and of the relationship that men have with their God."

In modern law, he said, many use "separation of church and state" with the intent to separate God, moral values and Christian principles from the state.

"It means none of that," Moore said. "The way people use 'separation of church and state' is not historically or legally accurate. What it does mean is that the state can't interfere with the church and can't interfere with our mode of worship and our articles of faith. And that's what 'separation of church and state' means."

I've got a library of quotes from Jefferson and the Founding Fathers, who signed the Declaration, and see no logical connection between what they said in the past and what we believe they meant today. You can make a dead man say anything and if repeated enough the people will believe it. For crying out loud the Constitution gave recognition to God. It's only been in the last few decades that God has been removed from the public square.

Are we basing the separation of church and state on bad history as the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist believed? I think so.

What do you teach your children?

Link

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Comments (Page 2)

bakerstreet

on Nov 30, 2006

No need to apologize to me, doc. It didn't bother me. You know KFC, though, and it's her article. Kudos for doing the right thing, most wouldn't.

KFC Kickin For Christ

on Nov 30, 2006

I wouldn't expect KFC of all people to appreciate that level of discourse.

Thanks Baker, what you said is true.

You are right. My appologies to KFC, and to the rest of JU.

apology accepted. You know I luv ya anyway Doc!! Thanks for changing your message.

Moderateman

on Nov 30, 2006

As soon as the Government tries to make one religion the "state religion" I will complain, till then I say to those whiney little babies" S. u.

Dr Guy

on Nov 30, 2006

apology accepted. You know I luv ya anyway Doc!! Thanks for changing your message.

Thank you. I have no excuse for it. Only anger. I appreciate Baker bringing me to task in the light of day. And your forgiveness.

Man, Freedom and Government

on Dec 01, 2006

video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7258694224931544756

KFC Kickin For Christ

on Dec 02, 2006

As soon as the Government tries to make one religion the "state religion" I will complain,

this kind of brings to mind to me the quote by Thomas Jefferson

"When the government fears the people, then there's Liberty, but when the people fear the government then there's Tyranny."

So which is closer to what we have today?

Free speech and the delusion o

on Dec 03, 2006

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15976642/

SilentPoet

on Dec 04, 2006

So which is closer to what we have today?

I'd say the latter. Maybe not extremely, or readily identifiable, but by your quote...yep, the latter.

Cikomyr

on Dec 05, 2006

I do not fear the governement itself, I fear the whole system who seems to have gotten out of control...

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