Planning this series has been quite a task, but a necessary one. The idea of "the separation of church and state" has been a hot button issue for me for a long time. And the more I learn, the more irritated I become. So irritated, in fact, that I feel the need to speak out.
As you follow along with me, please know this is not an attempt to shove religion down anybody's throat. I still maintain that each person has a right to his/her beliefs. Nobody should be forced into any religious practice. However, I also believe nobody should be denied his right to his religion. And that's where the problem is.
The supposed demand for the "separation of church and state" is to blame. That phrase is listed nowhere in the United States Constitution, and it is certainly not implied by the First Amendment. Nevertheless, that phrase is tossed around as if it is absolute truth.
When I consider the reasoning used by the Supreme Court in their decisions of cases involving religious matters, I wonder what our Founding Fathers would say. However, more than two hundred years have passed since they wrote the Constitution, and the men responsible for this document that Americans consider to be the law of the land cannot defend their positions or their decisions. Thankfully there are many documents we can look to, and we should look to them.
As you follow along with me, please know this is not an attempt to shove religion down anybody's throat. I still maintain that each person has a right to his/her beliefs. Nobody should be forced into any religious practice. However, I also believe nobody should be denied his right to his religion. And that's where the problem is.
The supposed demand for the "separation of church and state" is to blame. That phrase is listed nowhere in the United States Constitution, and it is certainly not implied by the First Amendment. Nevertheless, that phrase is tossed around as if it is absolute truth.
When I consider the reasoning used by the Supreme Court in their decisions of cases involving religious matters, I wonder what our Founding Fathers would say. However, more than two hundred years have passed since they wrote the Constitution, and the men responsible for this document that Americans consider to be the law of the land cannot defend their positions or their decisions. Thankfully there are many documents we can look to, and we should look to them.
This is the beginning of my First Amendment series. Specifically, I will be discussing the the first portion of the amendment, which deals with religion. My purpose in writing this is mainly to share the knowledge I have gained regarding the intent of our Founding Fathers when they framed the United States Constitution.
Over the next several weeks, I will be sharing what I have learned about our nation’s history. This series is meant to be educational, and I hope you will find it to be so. Whenever possible, I will include links so you can verify the information I give. If none are available, I will let you know where I obtained the information. Two books that inspired me to take this stand are America's Providential History and Original Intent. Needless to say, you will see references to both those books.
A new essay will be posted each Friday of the week. I hope you'll follow along.
Coming next Friday... 1. The First Amendment
