Is There Really A Separation Of Church And State?
At the time when Jefferson proposed the Separation clause to Madison, each colony/state had its own adopted religion. For example, Virginia was an Anglican state. In the state's charter it said that any person not of the Anglican faith could not hold public office in the state of Virginia.
Pennsylvania was the most liberal of states at the time, and its charter said that any person not affirming to a supreme creator could not hold public office in the state of Pennsylvania.
States used tax dollars to build churches, the same as was done in England. Tax monies were used to purchase bibles for Sunday schools and churches, etc.
Jefferson was an Anglican vestryman. He looked at the newly formed federal congress and wondered if this congress would adopt its own religion and supercede it over that of the states'.
Jefferson proposed the Separation Clause to keep the federal congress from doing this. This is well documented from the letters to and from Jefferson and Madison. They became lifelong friends, and traveled around the country giving speeches on the issue.
It wasn't until this century that Americans viewed the Separation Clause to mean that religion cannot be involved with anything that is considered government, i.e. everything paid for by government monies which is just about everything today from public schools to public parks.
Remember, the 1st amendment says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" This doesn't mean that congress shall make laws to throw religion out the windows of government buildings. It means that the federal government shall make no laws promoting any single religion, and should do everything within its power to protect the free exercise of all religions.
What do you think?