[Sabertooth]

The Constitution calls for no state endorsed religions.

No. The Constitution says

"Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

[BruceS]

Wrong. The 1st Amendment says (in part) "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

The difference may be subtle, but the way you have it, religion itself is referenced (THE establishment of religion). The way it is written, it refers to any specific church (AN establishment), forbidding Congress to favor one church over another. Of course, neither way does it mandate a separation of church and state.

This may be picky, but to me the Constitution is a sacred document.

[youngFreeper]

"Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof." It was congress that passed the bill that added "under God" to the pledge. The problem is not the Pledge of Allegiance, but the fact that in it is the promotion of a religion (more accurately we are one nation under the constitution). Shouldn't we look back upon the wisdoms of our forfathers and realize the dangers of a state entangling itself with religion. Religion does have many good qualities, but as we look back on history [as Jefferson, Madison (main writer of the constitution), Washington, and Franklin did] we see the dangers of what happens when the State entangles with religion. From the various Crusades, to today where the Arab states are controled by a religion. As conservatives we must make sure that government doesn't dabble its wisdoms on the individual. Leave religion to the individual.

[Sir Gawain]

You're smarter than most politicians. Of course, so is any third grader that reads the Constitution without a liberal teacher telling them how to interpret it.