true blood
Active Member
The infamous statement, "Separation of Church and State" was taken out of context from a letter Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptists, assuring them that the Constitution protected their religious freedoms and would not allow any one Christian denomination to be established as the "Government Church". The statement was never part of any early historical American document. Thomas Jefferson would be furiously opposed to the way his words have been taken out of context and misused to brainwash future generations of Americans.
If Thomas Jefferson truly believed that the 1st Amendment was intended to separate church and state by removing all religious influences from education, why would he initiate a school program that featured the Bible and Isaac Watts Hymnal (full of Christian songs) as the two primary textbooks? This was done over a decade after the 1st Amendment was written.
It was Thomas Jefferson who primarily wrote the Declaration of Independence (a government document) in which were included such words as God, Creator, Supreme Judge of the world, and Divine Providence".
When a national seal was suggested for the United States, Jefferson proposed The children of Israel in the wilderness, led by a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. This was to be the official government seal for our nation. Where was separation of church and state in that proposal? In 1798, he wrote (concerning the Kentucky Resolution): No power over the freedom of religion is delegated to the United States by the Constitution."
Finally, Thomas Jefferson wrote his own epitaph, which is inscribed on his tombstone: Here lies buried Thomas Jefferson author of the Declaration of Independence author of the Statutes for Religious Freedom in Virginia and
father of the University of Virginia. Interesting that he did not choose to be remembered as President of the United States, but rather as the author of the Statutes for Religious Freedom.
This great founding father, Thomas Jefferson, wanted to be remembered as the author of the Declaration of Independence and a protector of religious freedom! He proclaimed that no person should ever be prohibited from expressing his or her religious opinions! He placed the Bible in public schools as a primary textbook. On March 4, 1805 in an official government act, as President of the United States, he offered A National Prayer for Peace, ending with the words, all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Thomas Jefferson would be furious at the way his statement separation of church and state has been twisted and distorted to say exactly the opposite of what he intended. The wall of separation between church and state that Jefferson described was a wall to separate the government from ever interfering with our religious freedoms, not a wall to separate religious expression from our schools, courthouses, and other public places.
Early U.S. courts clearly understood Jeffersons intent when he wrote about a wall of separation between church and state. In fact, unlike recent court cases, they quoted his letter in its entirety, including the full context. Today, only 8 words are quoted from his letter. In 1878 there was a case called Reynolds vs. United States. In this case, in which polygamy was condemned by the courts, the argument was that government was interfering with religious expression. In other words, the U.S. government had no right to prohibit polygamy, since it was a form of religious expression by a certain group.
The court did not agree, and referred to Thomas Jeffersons letter as proof that the 1st Amendment did allow the government to interfere when religious expression violated social order and subverted moral behavior. Here they quoted President Jeffersons letter in its entirety and concluded:
Coming as this does from an acknowledged leader of the advocates of the measure, it (Thomas Jeffersons letter) may be accepted almost as an authoritative declaration of the scope and effect of the Amendment thus secured. Congress was deprived of all legislative power over mere (religious)
opinion, but was left free to reach actions which were in violation of social duties or subversive of good order"
The court then proceeded to summarize Jeffersons intent on separation of church and state by saying: The rightful purposes of civil government are for its officers to interfere when principles break out into overt acts against
peace and good order. In this is found the true distinction between what properly belongs to the church and what to the State. It was understood that the government could only interfere when overt acts against peace and good order were occurring. In other words, such things as human sacrifice and polygamy could not hide under the pretense of religious freedom.
Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, William Rehnquist said:
There is simply no historical foundation for the proposition that the framers intended to build a wall of separation
He also said: the greatest injury of the wall notion is its mischievous
diversion of judges from the actual intentions of the drafters of the Bill of Rights The wall of separation between church and State is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.
In his farewell speech to his troops, in his inaugural addresses to the nation, in proclaiming official days of prayer and fasting, and in his farewell speech to America, George Washington expressed his dependence and gratitude to God. He certainly was never aware of separation of church and state.
On numerous occasions, after the 1st Amendment had been signed into law by his own hand, George Washington demonstrated his belief that religious expression, especially Christianity, should be exercised freely in public, as well as private life.
One of the most powerful proofs that our founding fathers never intended for religion to be separate from education can be found in The Northwest Ordinance. This was a document that laid out the requirements for a territory to become accepted as a state. This document was signed into law by George Washington at the same convention that gave us the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the 1st Amendment. Section 13 of the Northwest Ordinance states: And, for extending the fundamental principles of civil and religious liberty, which form the basis whereon these republics,
their laws and constitutions are erected: to fix and establish those principles as the basis of all laws, constitutions and governments, which forever hereafter shall be formed in the said territory. Section 14, Article III reads:
Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. This Northwest Ordinance, was signed into law by George Washington on August 4, 1789, during the same time that the 1st Amendment was being formulated.
Doesnt it seem nuts for the same group of men to write an amendment stating that they believe that there should be a total separation between church and state, meaning that religion should be a completely private matter, removed from political and educational settings, and then turn right around and put into law a requirement that religion and morality, being necessary to good government should forever be encouraged through schools and means of education? However, they did not mention the words separation of church and state anytime during the 4 months in which the Constitution and 1st Amendment were being discussed. In fact, they would be outraged at the perverted definition that has emerged in todays courts.
George Washingtons prophetic words in his farewell speech to America: And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality
can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
Fisher Ames, the man who actually gave us the words of the 1st Amendment! Eleven years after writing the accepted words for the 1st Amendment he wrote the following article which was published in Palladium magazine: Should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school
book? Its morals are pure, its examples, captivating and noble. In no book is there so good English, so pure and so elegant; and by teaching all the same book, they will speak alike, and the Bible will justly remain the standard of language as well as of faith. Someone forgot to tell Fisher Ames, the man who wrote the 1st Amendment, that there should be a separation between church and state. Evidently Fisher Ames was not taught the interpretation of courts today that faith and the Bible do not belong in the classroom. Practically every signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution believed that Bibles should be in our schools, that prayer should be permitted in political and educational gatherings, and that the freedom of religious expression should never be forbidden.
If Thomas Jefferson truly believed that the 1st Amendment was intended to separate church and state by removing all religious influences from education, why would he initiate a school program that featured the Bible and Isaac Watts Hymnal (full of Christian songs) as the two primary textbooks? This was done over a decade after the 1st Amendment was written.
It was Thomas Jefferson who primarily wrote the Declaration of Independence (a government document) in which were included such words as God, Creator, Supreme Judge of the world, and Divine Providence".
When a national seal was suggested for the United States, Jefferson proposed The children of Israel in the wilderness, led by a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. This was to be the official government seal for our nation. Where was separation of church and state in that proposal? In 1798, he wrote (concerning the Kentucky Resolution): No power over the freedom of religion is delegated to the United States by the Constitution."
Finally, Thomas Jefferson wrote his own epitaph, which is inscribed on his tombstone: Here lies buried Thomas Jefferson author of the Declaration of Independence author of the Statutes for Religious Freedom in Virginia and
father of the University of Virginia. Interesting that he did not choose to be remembered as President of the United States, but rather as the author of the Statutes for Religious Freedom.
This great founding father, Thomas Jefferson, wanted to be remembered as the author of the Declaration of Independence and a protector of religious freedom! He proclaimed that no person should ever be prohibited from expressing his or her religious opinions! He placed the Bible in public schools as a primary textbook. On March 4, 1805 in an official government act, as President of the United States, he offered A National Prayer for Peace, ending with the words, all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Thomas Jefferson would be furious at the way his statement separation of church and state has been twisted and distorted to say exactly the opposite of what he intended. The wall of separation between church and state that Jefferson described was a wall to separate the government from ever interfering with our religious freedoms, not a wall to separate religious expression from our schools, courthouses, and other public places.
Early U.S. courts clearly understood Jeffersons intent when he wrote about a wall of separation between church and state. In fact, unlike recent court cases, they quoted his letter in its entirety, including the full context. Today, only 8 words are quoted from his letter. In 1878 there was a case called Reynolds vs. United States. In this case, in which polygamy was condemned by the courts, the argument was that government was interfering with religious expression. In other words, the U.S. government had no right to prohibit polygamy, since it was a form of religious expression by a certain group.
The court did not agree, and referred to Thomas Jeffersons letter as proof that the 1st Amendment did allow the government to interfere when religious expression violated social order and subverted moral behavior. Here they quoted President Jeffersons letter in its entirety and concluded:
Coming as this does from an acknowledged leader of the advocates of the measure, it (Thomas Jeffersons letter) may be accepted almost as an authoritative declaration of the scope and effect of the Amendment thus secured. Congress was deprived of all legislative power over mere (religious)
opinion, but was left free to reach actions which were in violation of social duties or subversive of good order"
The court then proceeded to summarize Jeffersons intent on separation of church and state by saying: The rightful purposes of civil government are for its officers to interfere when principles break out into overt acts against
peace and good order. In this is found the true distinction between what properly belongs to the church and what to the State. It was understood that the government could only interfere when overt acts against peace and good order were occurring. In other words, such things as human sacrifice and polygamy could not hide under the pretense of religious freedom.
Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, William Rehnquist said:
There is simply no historical foundation for the proposition that the framers intended to build a wall of separation
He also said: the greatest injury of the wall notion is its mischievous
diversion of judges from the actual intentions of the drafters of the Bill of Rights The wall of separation between church and State is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned.
In his farewell speech to his troops, in his inaugural addresses to the nation, in proclaiming official days of prayer and fasting, and in his farewell speech to America, George Washington expressed his dependence and gratitude to God. He certainly was never aware of separation of church and state.
On numerous occasions, after the 1st Amendment had been signed into law by his own hand, George Washington demonstrated his belief that religious expression, especially Christianity, should be exercised freely in public, as well as private life.
One of the most powerful proofs that our founding fathers never intended for religion to be separate from education can be found in The Northwest Ordinance. This was a document that laid out the requirements for a territory to become accepted as a state. This document was signed into law by George Washington at the same convention that gave us the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the 1st Amendment. Section 13 of the Northwest Ordinance states: And, for extending the fundamental principles of civil and religious liberty, which form the basis whereon these republics,
their laws and constitutions are erected: to fix and establish those principles as the basis of all laws, constitutions and governments, which forever hereafter shall be formed in the said territory. Section 14, Article III reads:
Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged. This Northwest Ordinance, was signed into law by George Washington on August 4, 1789, during the same time that the 1st Amendment was being formulated.
Doesnt it seem nuts for the same group of men to write an amendment stating that they believe that there should be a total separation between church and state, meaning that religion should be a completely private matter, removed from political and educational settings, and then turn right around and put into law a requirement that religion and morality, being necessary to good government should forever be encouraged through schools and means of education? However, they did not mention the words separation of church and state anytime during the 4 months in which the Constitution and 1st Amendment were being discussed. In fact, they would be outraged at the perverted definition that has emerged in todays courts.
George Washingtons prophetic words in his farewell speech to America: And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality
can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.
Fisher Ames, the man who actually gave us the words of the 1st Amendment! Eleven years after writing the accepted words for the 1st Amendment he wrote the following article which was published in Palladium magazine: Should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school
book? Its morals are pure, its examples, captivating and noble. In no book is there so good English, so pure and so elegant; and by teaching all the same book, they will speak alike, and the Bible will justly remain the standard of language as well as of faith. Someone forgot to tell Fisher Ames, the man who wrote the 1st Amendment, that there should be a separation between church and state. Evidently Fisher Ames was not taught the interpretation of courts today that faith and the Bible do not belong in the classroom. Practically every signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution believed that Bibles should be in our schools, that prayer should be permitted in political and educational gatherings, and that the freedom of religious expression should never be forbidden.
