Separation of Church and State-part II

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”

CLEARLY, this amendment is speaking to the government. It is argued that the phrase “separation of church and state” does not exist in the First Amendment. True! But where it does exist is in a letter to the Danbury Baptists from Thomas Jefferson. In his letter, he wrote,

“Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between church and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.”

Now I’m not a brilliant man but this amendment builds no wall separating church from state per se. What it does build is a wall with a one way swinging door. The government cannot get in but the church may get out. You see, it says the congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. No where in this amendment does it say that the church can not have say so in the arena of government. If it does, please correct me. I’m not above being corrected. I just don’t like it. And also to me, if a church wants to get involved in government, it can because the First amendment also says Congress cannot prohibit the free exercise of a religion.

Also, if you continue to read the First Amendment, it goes on to say,

“or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Which gives the church the power of free speech. The “AU” says the church cannot get involved with any political campaign because it is a tax exempt establishment. Is this a privilege the government has bestowed on the church or is this a battle the church has won feeding the government their own dinner? Tax exempt or not, the church has a free speech right and I read nowhere in the First Amendment that the church cannot involve itself with a political agenda.

In my own thoughts, I think our forefathers messed up on a royal level. It’s fine that they’d want to keep the church and state separate, but they should have worded it alot different.

Maybe it should have read, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion; or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, nor shall the church have any right respecting any establishment of government.”

There is your wannabe First Amendment.