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To: thomaswest
"In my view, separation of religion and government is good for both society and religious institutions."

Your view does not comport with the view of the Founding Fathers, the Nation's History (even very recent history) and/or World History (thankfully).

There is no separation of "religion and government" other than the government can't establish a state run church/denomination.

Congress still opens session in prayer and has a chaplain.

A three judge panel (state supreme court...in the south somewhere) just recently decided for the public display of the Ten Commandments and other religious references, on a Ten Commandment case, and one judged stated that no reasonable person would agree with the ACLU's position in regard to there being a "wall of separation" between church and state that disallowed all religious reference.

170 posted on 01/03/2006 4:28:23 PM PST by pby
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To: pby

You posted: There is no separation of "religion and government" other than the government can't establish a state run church/denomination.

Reply:
You seem unfamiliar with the First Amendment. It states: "Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

The Constititution also states in the original, in Art VI, "there shall be no religious test for public office".

Note carefully: the words are "religion" and "religious". It is not about a church establishment. It is about religion. The courts have, for 200 years, understood this in its original intent--there shall be no establishment of religion. And Deism and other non-religion counts. The Constitution never mentions "churches". The economically non-productive clergy were often excluded from participating in town councils in colonial times as being parasitic and having nothing of value in practical affairs of men. (Matters of women were rarely considered in those times.)


188 posted on 01/03/2006 4:59:58 PM PST by thomaswest (just curious)
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