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The only thing I can easily document is the result of this flawed interpretation of our Constitution.

The Results:

In 1962-63 there was an incredible jump in violent crime, increasing over 650%. There was also a dramatic drop in SAT scores, sending a once steady 965-980 national average through the floor, dropping for over fifteen years, finally ending at 890. Child abuse shot through the roof; from being unknown to involving nearly five percent of the population, and decades later, it is still on its tremendous rise. In `72, less than 2 percent of the 12-25 year old population had tried cocaine. In `82, nearly one third of them had. There are myriad other examples.

Why such an incredible drop in national morality?

In the court case Engle v. Vitale(1962), school prayer was removed. The Supreme Court stated that that "Prayer in its public school system breaches the constitutional wall of separation between Church and State". Then, in 1963, in the court case Abington v. Schempp, Bible reading was prohibited: "[N]o state law or school board may require that passages from the Bible be read or that the Lords Prayer be recited in the public schools of a State at the beginning of each school day." Later rulings went further, disallowing any form of Bible reading, prayer, or overt Christian activity [including the religious celebration of Christmas. Some have gone so far as to forbid the giving of "religious" Christmas cards. Now you know why you get all those "Seasons Greetings" cards.] In the case Stone v Graham(1980), the Ten Commandments were prohibited from appearing in public schools, because, "If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will be to induce the school children to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey the commandments...this...is not permissible...". Of course not. Would anyone in their right mind permit persons to "not kill", or "not steal"? This is our Supreme Court passing these laws [Ironically, in the Supreme Court, where this ruling was made, an engraving of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments is inscribed on the wall]. If we are to accept Proverbs 1:7, we must conclude that these 9 men in black robes were fools, despising wisdom and discipline.

But the question that must be asked is why Christians allow this to happen. It is not because the constitution requires this folly, far from it. Our founding fathers had absolutely no intent of separating morality and religion from government.

For example, In 1777, congress passed a resolution that the first Thursday of May was to be dedicated to prayer for God to forgive them of any sins they as a country may have committed, and to help them in the war they were to fight with Britain. The First Amendment clearly states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Does this mean that any religious aspect should be struck from the government? No, it simply means that the actions of any religious establishment (such as a church, synagogue, religious organization, etc) cannot be controlled or legislated - unless those actions are contrary to law [such as human sacrifice]. It also means that Congress can not establish a national religion, such as England did with the Church of England. But an important distinction must be made between religion as we know it, and religion as the founders knew it. It is quite clear that when the founders spoke of religion, they meant Christianity. Noah Webster, a founder, said quite bluntly, "No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian Religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people." Many founders made similar statements.

Our nation is in trouble. As Washington said in his presidential speech, "The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected upon a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained."

It is quite clear that when the founders spoke of religion, they meant Christianity.

Funny how the Articles of Confederation, Constitution & Declaration of Independence all fail to explicitly mention this. The available historical citations of the era just don't back this assertion.

Not every Founding Father was a Christian (Jefferson & Franklin were self-proclaimed Deists). The religious views of the Founding Fathers were as varied as religion itself.

"All sober inquirers after truth, ancient and modern, pagan and Christian, have declared that the happiness of man, as well as his dignity, consists in virtue. Confucius, Zo- roaster, Socrates, Mahomet, not to mention authorities really sacred, have agreed in this.

If there is a form of government, then, whose principle and foundation is virtue, will not every sober man acknowledge it better calculated to promote the general happiness than any other form?" -John Adams Thoughts on Government 1776

"The only thing I can easily document is the result of this flawed interpretation of our Constitution.

The Results:

In 1962-63 there was an incredible jump in violent crime, increasing over 650%. There was also a dramatic drop in SAT scores, sending a once steady 965-980 national average through the floor, dropping for over fifteen years, finally ending at 890. Child abuse shot through the roof; from being unknown to involving nearly five percent of the population, and decades later, it is still on its tremendous rise. In `72, less than 2 percent of the 12-25 year old population had tried cocaine. In `82, nearly one third of them had. There are myriad other examples. "

Nonsense. The absence of a few prayers before classes and the restriction of the posting of the Commandments of a particular religious background was not responsibly for the decay of public morality. Are you seriously trying to say that the 650% jump in crime from '62-'63 was from a Supreme Court ruling in '62 about school prayer? All those criminals were students who in one year turned to crime because they didn't recite a prayer in the morning at school?

Most of these social ills can be best attributed to the advancing welfare state. If school prayer (who's prayer, btw? Catholic? Protestant? Muslim? Some watered-down acknowledgment of a Supreme Being?) and the 10 Commandments (I am the Lord Your God, you shall have no other Gods before me... Keep Holy the Sabbath (which Sabbath?)...nah, that wouldn't be religious indoctrination) were reintroduced tomorrow, nobody would notice the difference in any of those stats.

"It is quite clear that when the founders spoke of religion, they meant Christianity. Noah Webster, a founder, said quite bluntly, "No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian Religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people." Many founders made similar statements."

It just means that many founders were also of a theocratic bent.

In 1962-63 there was an incredible jump in violent crime, increasing over 650%.

Do you have a link for that assertion or are you lying and just making stuff up?

Looks like you're lying because here are the crime rates from 1960-2002.

The rates have been trending up prior to 1963 but there is no where near the big jump you describe (Notice murder & rape rates didn't change at all from 1962-1963 )

There was also a dramatic drop in SAT scores, sending a once steady 965-980 national average through the floor, dropping for over fifteen years,

Link please!!!

Here are the average SAT scores from 1966-2002

finally ending at 890.

The lowest ever was in 1980 at 994 so you are just making stats up

Child abuse shot through the roof; from being unknown to involving nearly five percent of the population, and decades later, it is still on its tremendous rise.

Link please!!

Most likely child abuse has always been a problem but in the past it was never reported.

Why such an incredible drop in national morality?

2 Words - Baby Boomers

In the court case Engle v. Vitale(1962), school prayer was removed.......Our nation is in trouble. As Washington said in his presidential speech, "The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected upon a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained."

Then explain the following real (not made up like yours) statistics

From 1991 to 2001, The Number of the non-religious doubled in number while at the same time the number calling themselves Christians declined by 10% this decline in Christianity is especially seen in young people.

Yet the even though the younger generations are the most unchristian violent crime rate has declined through this period, as well as The pregnancy rate for unmarried women has continuously declined through the 1990s and the abortion rate dropped by about 25 percent for both married and unmarried women through the 1990s , The teen Pregnancy Rate Reached a Record Low, More Teenagers are saying no to sex and Drug use by teenagers continues to decline.

Now if being force fed religion had anything to do with being moral, As the country (especially the young) turns more & more secular wouldn't the trends be going in the opposite direction.

Here is two articles for ya' on how the morailty of young people in our country is improving greatly

Rush Limbaugh on the Next Generation and It's the Morning after in America

You will notice 1 thing missing from both articles, Religion.

Sorry but Christianity doesn't equal morals and if it vanishes from America it will have no bearing on the morals of our country.