[Sandy]

Black wrote the dissent when he used the church state separation wording.
Justice Black was avidly anti-Catholic – views...which, no doubt, "influenced his 1947 ruling that the First Amendment created a 'high and impregnable' wall between religion and government,"

This is nonsense. Black wrote the majority opinion in Everson, and there was nothing anti-Catholic about it. You may want to read the actual decision. The WND article is garbage.

[FredFlash]

When I am presented with that "Justice Black was anti-Catholic hogwash", I ask them to show me the anti-Catholic principles established in the decision and let them figure out that they need to actually read the opinion.

I do the same with the claim regarding Daily Opening Prayers in the First U. S. Congress. There is no evidence whatsoever in the official records to support this claim.

The Chaplains only duty was to perform a divine service for the President and Congress right after the President was sworn in and Congress did not even want to hold the service in the Senate Chamber, so they adjourned and the Pesident and Congress walked over to a church as private citizens for the Chaplain's service. (not government officials)

The Chaplains also performed funerals for federal officials who passed on. The Chaplains were the lowest paid of any Congressional employee on the the Civil List any a Chaplain would not have been able to support a family on only $250 a year consider that the Clerk of the House was paid about $1,800 a year and the Continental Congress was paying $1,000 a year when it discontinure the Chaplain to Congress position in 1784.


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Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789 WEDNESDAY, MAY 5, 1784.
Congress assembled: Present, eleven states as yesterday.
A motion was made by Mr. [Samuel] Hardy, seconded by Mr. [Richard Dobbs] Spaight,

A motion was made by Mr. [David] Howell, seconded by Mr. [William] Ellery, to postpone that motion, in order to take into consideration the report of the committee on the reduction of the civil list, which is as follows:

The committee, consisting of Mr. [Hugh] Williamson, Mr. [Elbridge] Gerry, Mr. [James] Tilton, Mr. [Thomas] Jefferson and Mr. [James] McHenry, appointed to consider what reductions may be made in the civil list, have agreed to the following resolutions: That the following offices be discontinued, to wit: The chargé des affaires at the Court of Madrid, whose salary is 4444 dollars. Agent at the Hague, 920 dollars. Second under secretary of foreign affairs, 700 dollars. The Secretary of the war office, 1000 dollars. Agent of marine 1500 dollars. Paymaster, 1000 dollars. Commissary of prisoners, 1200 dollars. The assistant to the Superintendant of finance, 1850 dollars. Three clerks in the office of finance, meaning that three shall remain, 1500 dollars. One clerk to the Comptroller, 500 dollars. Two auditors, 2000 dollars. One Chaplain, 400 dollars. The establishment of a jail, 1338 1/3dollars; doorkeeper to Congress, 400 dos, annual saving will accrue to the United States of 18,752 1/3 dollars.