[Peace-discuss] Tea Party Wingnuts Attack 1st Amendment Separation of Church and State

[C. G. Estabrook]

Wayne is quite right. In fact the First Amendment was designed in part precisely 
to /*prevent*/ /*Congress from interfering*/ in those states where religion (= a 
church organization) /*was established*/ (= supported by tax money): Congress 
was prohibited by this amendment from separating church and state in the six 
states that had established religions (= state churches) in 1787.

The separation of church and state, an Enlightenment goal, was slowly achieved 
in the US as the various state churches were disestablished (allowing us 
actually to use the word "antidisestablishmentarianism"). But the Bill of Rights 
was always meant as a limitation on the power of the federal government - a 
price for the ratification of the largely anti-democratic and pro-elite 
Constitution of 1787.

See McConnell, /The Origins and Historical Understanding of Free Exercise of 
Religion/, 103 Harv. L. Rev. 1409, 1437 (1990)


On 10/20/10 5:34 PM, E. Wayne Johnson wrote:
> First Amendment:
> Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or 
> prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
> or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the 
> people peaceably to assemble,
> and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
>
> Christine is certainly not wrong and knows how to read.
>
>
> On 10/21/2010 2:18 AM, Robert Naiman wrote:
>> Republican Christine O'Donnell challenged her Democratic rival Tuesday
>> to show where the Constitution requires separation of church and
>> state, drawing swift criticism from her opponent, laughter from her
>> law school audience and a quick defense from prominent conservatives.
>> [...]
>> The subject of religion and the law came up during their debate at
>> Widener University Law School as O'Donnell criticized Coons for saying
>> that teaching creationism in public school would violate the
>> Constitution.
>>
>> O'Donnell questions separation of church, state
>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/19/AR2010101902501.html 
>>
>>
>>
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