Given that I understand you correctly, I've been there. I was wrongly taught that the 1st A., the establishment clause in particular, meant that the Founders had intended for us to have church & state separation. But I have since discovered that such an interpretation was nothing more than a special interest, politically correct perversion of the establishment clause by "former" Klansman Justice Black.
In fact, in addition to what I have already indicated about Jefferson's acknowledgment of state power to regulate religion, here's two more Jefferson excerpts which indicate the same thing.
"In matters of religion, I have considered that its free exercise is placed by the Constitution independent of the powers of the general government. I have therefore undertaken on no occasion to prescribe the religious exercises suited to it; but have left them as the Constitution found them, under the direction and discipline of State or Church authorities acknowledged by the several religious societies." --Thomas Jefferson: 2nd Inaugural Address, 1805. ME 3:378 http://tinyurl.com/jmpm3So by quoting Jefferson to help justify his perverted interpretation of the establishment clause, Justice Black actually quoted probably the worst person that he could have quoted in order to pull off his dirty work."I consider the government of the United States as interdicted by the Constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doctrines, discipline, or exercises. This results not only from the provision that no law shall be made respecting the establishment or free exercise of religion, but from that also which reserves to the states the powers not delegated to the United States. Certainly, no power to prescribe any religious exercise or to assume authority in religious discipline has been delegated to the General Government. It must then rest with the states, as far as it can be in any human authority." --Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Miller, 1808. http://tinyurl.com/nkdu7
The bottom line is that the states have the constitutional power (10th A.) to authorized public schools to lead non-mandatory (14th A.) classroom discussions on the pros and cons of evolution, creationism and ID, as examples, regardless that atheists, separatists, secular judges and the MSM are misleading the people to think that doing such things in public schools is unconstitutional.
Thank you for the historical perspective. The only point I am discussing with you is that you can believe anything you want about idolatry, but the government is prohibited by the constitution from prohibiting the rest of us from being idolaters; and especially from codifying your definition.