To
Pastor Huck regarding church/state separation:
The
argument that there is no separation of church and
state in the Constitution because it is not in there
verbatim is silly. Nobody has ever argued that it
is any more than shorthand for the establishment
clause. The man that coined the phrase, Thomas Jefferson,
was the author of Virginia’s state constitution
establishment clause which was instrumental in the
wording of the federal Constitution. If he says
that there is a separation of church/state, you
shouldbelieve him.
As
for the wording of the Constitution, not once do
we find the words “Jesus,” “Christ,” or “Christian”
in its text. We do find “God,” but only in the phrase
“In the Year of Our Lord” where the document is
dated. We find religion mentioned twice, but only
in regard to restricting government
actions. Congress cannot restrict religious beliefs,
and neither can it require religious tests for office.
You would think that had the founders wanted us
to be a Christian government based on the Bible,
they would have said so.
I’d
like to point out to Pastor Huck that religious
expression in public schools by students has long
been protected. No one, outside of the rare, misguided
bureaucrat, wants to stop kids from praying or reading
the Bible in school. What is restricted is mandatory
prayer, Bible study and proselytizing led by the
teacher, and favoritism of one religion over another
by the school. I would rather think that Pastor
Huck would prefer his kids not be forced to pray
a Mormon prayer or study the Koran in school, just
like I would prefer my kids aren’t forced to pray
or read the Bible.
One
last thing: Secular is not the same thing as atheist.
Our secular government must remain neutral regarding
any religion. That our government cannot favor Christianity
over other religions does not make it atheist– it
makes it fair.
Dave
Thompson
Phoenix
