The Myth of Separation The Asheville Tribune; By Dr. Ralph Sexton of "We Still Pray" August 18, 2000; Commentary. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; . . . ." -- The First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Supreme Court's ruling that forbids student-led prayer at public schools does not affirm our nation's deep commitment to allowing the practice of religion without government interference. It is just the opposite. Our "founding fathers," men and women of intense faith and great wisdom made sure that we could pray in public. The Supreme Court has reversed what our constitutional architects had designed. It takes only a few minutes of research to destroy the "myth of separation" presented in so many articles and debates. Many people do not realize the Constitution does not contain the words "separation of church and state." This phrase was not recorded in the discussions of the Constitutional Convention, nor in the records of the subsequent congress that produced the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights. This phrase was born in a message by Roger Williams. The Danbury Baptist Association of Danbury, Conn. was concerned over a rumor they had heard concerning a "National Denomination." All states encouraged Christianity, yet no state allowed an exclusive state-sponsored denomination. Pastor Williams made the following statement: "When they have opened a gap in the hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world, God hath even broke down the wall itself……" According to Williams, the "Wall of Separation" was to protect the "garden of the church from the "wilderness of the world." Because the Danbury Baptists were concerned there would be a state-sponsored denomination, they wrote to the then President Jefferson of their fears. President Jefferson calmed their fears and used a phrase to establish a common ground. On Jan. 1, 1802 he wrote the following: "I contemplate with solemn reverence the 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 or separation between church and state." David Barton in his research "Separation of Church and State" wrote: "That wall was originally introduced as, and understood to be, a one directional wall, protecting the church from the government." This was also Jefferson's understanding, as conveyed through statements he made concerning the First Amendment. That Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptist should become a national legal policy is absurd when considering: Jefferson made the statement in 1802 -- 13 years after Congress passed the First Amendment Jefferson was not a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention and was not a member of Congress in 1789, which framed the First Amendment. There is a Constitution where this phrase was found -- the former Soviet Union. Article 52 -- "The Church in the USSR is separated from the state, and the School from the church." Our first President, George Washington, never intended for the Supreme Court to ban the Bible in school, the Ten Commandments, prayer and now, student-led prayer. In 1779 Washington met with the chiefs from the Delaware Indian tribe as they brought three of their sons to be educated as leaders for the Indians. On May 12, 1779, Washington assured the chiefs that congress will look upon them as their own sons; he then commended them: "You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all the religion of Jesus Christ." Of the first 108 colleges in America, 106 were founded on the Christian faith. It never ceases to amaze me that we have forgotten American history and abandoned our heritage. This court's ruling is but one more foundation stone of religious freedom being ripped out of our moral foundation. Maybe we should affirm, as a people, we still pray! While we are praying, we can petition the Congress to make the Supreme Court accountable to the people instead of a government unto themselves. Hugh Hewitt, in his Searching for God in America started the section on "America's Spiritual Treasury" with the Mayflower Compact in 1620. It states the very purpose of our nation's existence was for the "glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith." In 1892 the Supreme Court ruled in "Church of the Holy Trinity vs. United States." The court states: "This is a religious people. This is historically true from the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation……These are not individual sayings, declarations of private persons; they are organic utterances; they speak the voice of the entire people……" "These and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation." This affirms that the court of 2000 is wrong and is destroying the very heritage that gave us morals and character. Editor's Note: The First Amendment of the Constitution, with regard to religious freedom, states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;.."
Church and State
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