tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1421216869362543293.post6020065181504913775..comments2023-10-21T07:07:21.609-07:00Comments on If You Are Going To Pursue Truth ...: Does The First Amendment Mean Separation of Church and StateRJW - Progressivehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04457901318136387863noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1421216869362543293.post-3812715673700812542010-12-13T08:01:50.353-08:002010-12-13T08:01:50.353-08:00The First Amendment was ratified w/the understandi...The First Amendment was ratified w/the understanding that Congress would not establish a church of republic (one single form of Christianity from which legislatures could draw authority from to legislate) like England established (abhorrent to the people of America). It was also ratified w/the understanding that Congress could not infringe on anyone's free practice of their chosen religion (as long as it did not infringe on anyone's natural rights and protections). Again, this amendment applies to Congress, not the States. Several States had established religions well into the 19th century. Whether you agree or not, those are the facts. <br /><br />Jefferson wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802 to answer a letter from them written in October 1801. These individuals were a religious minority in Connecticut, and they complained that in their state, the religious liberties they enjoyed were not seen as immutable rights, but as privileges granted by the legislature — as "favors granted." <br /><br />Jefferson's reply did not address their concerns about problems with state establishment of religion — only of establishment on the national level. The letter contains the phrase "wall of separation between church and state," which led to the short-hand for the Establishment Clause that we use today: "Separation of church and state." <br /><br />From the letter: "...the whole American people which declared that their legislature (i.e. Congress) should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion..."<br /><br />Thus the incorrect interpretation that the First Amendment applies to the States and that Jefferson supported this notion. <br /><br />The First Amendment means what it says.Austin Holthausnoreply@blogger.com