Separation of Church and State
AARGH!!! This irritates me to no end! When people start clamoring for "separation of church and state" because it's in the 1st amendment, it only points out their own stupidity and demonstrates that they should not be taken seriously. Do some research, people. Don't look at the fact that so-and-so is yelling about SOCAS and assume its in the 1st amendment to the Constitution. Before you go and embarrass yourself, go look it up. Its a novel concept, I know, but it pays off.
SOCAS is NOT in the Constitution. The words: "separation", "church", and "state" do not even appear in the first amendment. The first amendment reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." The statement about a wall of separation between church and state was made in a letter on January 1, 1802, by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut. The congregation heard a widespread rumor that the Congregationalists, another denomination, were to become the national religion. This was very alarming to people who knew about religious persecution in England by the state established church. Jefferson made it clear in his letter to the Danbury Congregation that the separation was to be that government would not establish a national religion or dictate to men how to worship God. Jefferson's letter from which the phrase "separation of church and state" was taken affirmed first amendment rights. Jefferson wrote:
"I contemplate with solemn 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 and State."
So you see, dear reader, that SOCAS is not a law, as many ignorant people have tried to convince me, but merely a single statement, taken out of context, in a letter written to SOMEBODY ELSE by Thomas Jefferson. I beg... no, I PLEAD for all who read this to open their minds just a little and STOP CALLING IT A FRICKIN LAW! While I may or may-not agree with "SOCAS", my point remains. They were not talking about separating the state from the church. I mean good God, why do you think our currency has "In God We Trust" on it? Isn't that guilty of violating SOCAS? In July of 1776 (or, more accurately, in 1887, when the Constitution was drafted from the carcass of the Articles of Confederation), the people did not want freedom FROM religion, but freedom OF religion.
Maybe someday I'll talk about the fact that the Founding Fathers were desperately afraid of democracy. It'll be a good excuse to tell another whole group of idiots to shut up and look things up on their own instead of relying on what they hear some random person say.
SOCAS is NOT in the Constitution. The words: "separation", "church", and "state" do not even appear in the first amendment. The first amendment reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." The statement about a wall of separation between church and state was made in a letter on January 1, 1802, by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut. The congregation heard a widespread rumor that the Congregationalists, another denomination, were to become the national religion. This was very alarming to people who knew about religious persecution in England by the state established church. Jefferson made it clear in his letter to the Danbury Congregation that the separation was to be that government would not establish a national religion or dictate to men how to worship God. Jefferson's letter from which the phrase "separation of church and state" was taken affirmed first amendment rights. Jefferson wrote:
"I contemplate with solemn 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 and State."
So you see, dear reader, that SOCAS is not a law, as many ignorant people have tried to convince me, but merely a single statement, taken out of context, in a letter written to SOMEBODY ELSE by Thomas Jefferson. I beg... no, I PLEAD for all who read this to open their minds just a little and STOP CALLING IT A FRICKIN LAW! While I may or may-not agree with "SOCAS", my point remains. They were not talking about separating the state from the church. I mean good God, why do you think our currency has "In God We Trust" on it? Isn't that guilty of violating SOCAS? In July of 1776 (or, more accurately, in 1887, when the Constitution was drafted from the carcass of the Articles of Confederation), the people did not want freedom FROM religion, but freedom OF religion.
Maybe someday I'll talk about the fact that the Founding Fathers were desperately afraid of democracy. It'll be a good excuse to tell another whole group of idiots to shut up and look things up on their own instead of relying on what they hear some random person say.