Words from the founding fathers – 9.30.10

Posted: Friday, October 1, 2010 1:59 pm
By: Nathan Castleman, Guest Columnist

“Thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.”  Where is that found? Who said or wrote that phrase?  We hear it all the time. Those on the left (liberals/progressives) quote it all the time.  It must be written in one of our founding documents – shouldn’t it?
Actually it is from a short letter from Thomas Jefferson  had written to a committee of the Danbury Baptist Association in the state of Connecticut.  This was his response to a letter from the Danbury Baptist because they were fearful that the state and even federal government would not allow them to worship as they pleased.
They understood that the First Amendment was written for this purpose, but were concerned that it didn’t carry enough weight. Their concern was that the First Amendment referred to the protection of the “free exercise of religion” which meant that the right was given by the government instead of God-given; therefore, could also be taken away by the same government. 
In doing so, the government could establish a government-run religion and exclude all others. In his response the entire sentence is, “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God; that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship; that the legislative powers of government reach actions only and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that 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,’” (quote from  First Amendment) thus building a wall of separation between Church and State.
Early justices of the Supreme Court recognized Jefferson’s original intent of his letter. But in 1947, in the case Everson v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court declared, “The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach.”
Did you see that?
They had erected a wall that was not mentioned in the First Amendment. The First Amendment was written to keep the government out of religion and the establishment of a government-run religion, like they had in England. They turned Jefferson’s words around to mean the exact opposite of what he had intended.
The First Amendment and his letter were to keep the government out of religion, not religion out of the government and the public arena.
Remember, the liberals, progressives, left – whatever name you want to use – are big proponents of the “separation of church and state” as they see it. To them religion has no place near or within ear shot of any public place, especially in our political life. That seems odd now that they are proud to tout some of our religions are supporting the One Nation Working Together March in Washington this Saturday. You should go to their website (http://action.onenationworkingtogether.org/content/main).
It’s very interesting to see what they believe, plus who is endorsing and supporting them. They are pushing a very left-winged agenda. Would you be surprised to see churches/religions involved such as:  AME churches, Nazarene, Islamic, General Board of Church and Society – United Methodist Church, National Baptist, Church of the Evangelical United Church of Christ and Unitarian and also well-known groups such as NAACP, Sojourners, American Federation of Teachers and NEA (National Education Assoc). 
Maybe these religious groups being involved (even though the organizers believe in the separation of church and state) doesn’t really bother you. How about when you know some of the other groups endorsing this march with them. Such as AFL-CIO, SEIU, Democratic Socialist of America, Progressive Democrats of America, Planned Parenthood, Queers for Economic Justice, various labor unions and the Communist Party USA. These are just a few of the over 400 organizations endorsing this march.
Like I said go to the website and see for yourself. If I were a member of one of these churches, I’d be contacting someone about the separation of church and these radical of endorsers. By the way, I have reluctantly been a member of NEA for the past few years. But with their affiliation with this agenda, their recommended reading list which includes Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals, plus endorsing people and ideals that do not represent me; they have gotten their last dime out of me. I will be dropping them immediately! 
Send me your comments to foundingwords@yahoo.com.

WCP 9.30.10

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