[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you oh so very much for your splendid essay-post, dearest sister in Christ!

But what I still don't get is why the local community would be penalized, when the First Amendment prohibition applies to Congress alone: "Congress shall make no law...." As for the people of the United States, they have a perfectly legitimate right, guaranteed by the free exercise clause, to "exercise" expressions of their religious beliefs, anywhere they want to within reason. Period. [cf. Amendments IX and X too]

So very true. Sadly though the Supreme Court has tortured the First Amendment to mean something it clearly does not say.

As a result, nowadays, most any thing or place funded by the public dare not mention God. No wonder our country is deeply troubled.

And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God. – Deut 12:3-4

As I recall, Justice Thomas said (paraphrased) that the First Amendment speaks to freedom "of" religion not "from" religion.

[betty boop]

Justice Thomas said (paraphrased) that the First Amendment speaks to freedom "of" religion not "from" religion.

Yep; he sure did. May God ever bless the man!

[betty boop]

Sadly though the Supreme Court has tortured the First Amendment to mean something it clearly does not say.

So very, very true, dearest sister in Christ. They must have found another penumbra....