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Establishment of Religion - What does the Constitution really say?
World Net Daily ^ | August 26, 2003 | Alan Keyes

Posted on 03/11/2005 8:56:44 PM PST by Del Rio Wildcat 2

When he ordered the removal of the Ten Commandments monument from the Supreme Court building in Alabama, federal judge Myron Thompson stated that the issue at stake involved the question of whether or not the state has the right to acknowledge God.

Actually, this formulation is a distraction from the real issue, which is whether or not Myron Thompson or any other federal judge has the right to interfere with state actions that may or may not constitute an establishment of religion.

Someone who simply reads the text of the Constitution of the United States would be thoroughly surprised to learn that a federal judge claimed the right to act in this manner. The First Amendment to the Constitution plainly states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion ..." Since there can be no federal law on the subject, there appears to be no lawful basis for any element of the federal government – including the courts – to act in this area.

Moreover, the 10th Amendment to the Constitution plainly states that "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." This means that the power to make laws respecting an establishment of religion, having been explicitly withheld from the United States, is reserved to the states or to the people.

Taken together, therefore, the First and 10th Amendments reserve the power to address issues of religious establishment to the different states and their people. An erroneous premise

Now, Judge Thompson – like many federal judges and justices before him – claims the unlimited prerogative of dictating to the states what they may or may not do with respect to matters of religious expression.

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(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...


TOPICS: Education; Government; History; Miscellaneous; Politics; Religion
KEYWORDS: 1stamendment; churchandstate; establishmentclause; originalintent; supremecourt

1 posted on 03/11/2005 8:56:44 PM PST by Del Rio Wildcat 2
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To: Del Rio Wildcat 2
This is a well thought out article. Something to bring to the attention of our State and Federal legislators.
2 posted on 03/11/2005 9:22:11 PM PST by HighlyOpinionated (Progressives are little "Saul Alinsky" disciples.)
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To: Del Rio Wildcat 2

Keyes. Right on.


3 posted on 03/11/2005 10:04:25 PM PST by satchmodog9 (Murder and weather are our only news)
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To: Del Rio Wildcat 2

bttt for research


4 posted on 03/16/2005 5:13:15 PM PST by TigersEye (Intellectuals only exist if you think they do.)
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