[Ohioan]

Actually, you understate the case against what has been done to our understanding of the First Amendment. It is directed explicitly against Congress. This is not a limitation on State supported religion, but on Congress interfering with any establishment of religion. (Remember, in Colonial times, most of the Colonies had "established" Churches. Congress was forbidden to interfere with such, as well as forbidden to interfere with anyone's free exercise of their Faith.

To better understand what the ACLU has actually been pushing, and the lack of justification for same, see Leftwing Word Games

[GOPJ]

bump

[DiogenesLamp]

Scalia: Establishment clause doesn't require government to favor secularism over religion

I've been saying that for quite a long time. Some people think the idea is kooky.

[Bob434]

secularism IS a religious belief

John Dewey described Humanism as our “common faith.” Julian Huxley called it “Religion without Revelation.” The first Humanist Manifesto spoke openly of Humanism as a religion. Many other Humanists could be cited who have acknowledged that Humanism is a religion. In fact, claiming that Humanism was “the new religion” was trendy for at least 100 years, perhaps beginning in 1875 with the publication of The Religion of Humanity by Octavius Brooks Frothingham (1822-1895), son of the distinguished Unitarian clergyman, Nathaniel Langdon Frothingham (1793-1870), pastor of the First Unitarian Church of Boston, 1815-1850. In the 1950’s, Humanists sought and obtained tax-exempt status as religious organizations. Even the Supreme Court of the United States spoke in 1961 of Secular Humanism as a religion. It was a struggle to get atheism accepted as a religion, but it happened. From 1962-1980 this was not a controversial issue
.
But then Christians began to challenge the “establishment of religion” which Secular Humanism in public schools represented. They used the same tactic Atheists had used to challenge prayer and Bible reading under the “Establishment Clause” of the First Amendment. Now the ACLU is involved. Now the question is controversial. Now Secular Humanists have completely reversed their strategy, and claim that Humanism is not at all religious, but is “scientific.”

http://vftonline.org/Patriarchy/definitions/humanism_religion.htm