You won’t find the words “separation”, “church”, or “state” in the 1st Amendment to our United States Constitution.
But you will find them in Article 124 of the 1936 Constitution of the U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics):
You won’t find the words “separation”, “church”, or “state” in the 1st Amendment to our United States Constitution.
But you will find them in Article 124 of the 1936 Constitution of the U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics):
July 1, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Government run by religion seems to be doing just fine for Iranians isn’t it?
July 1, 2009 at 6:39 pm
I never said I want “Government run by religion”.
I just want a government that does not unconstitutionally prohibit the free exercise of religion in the public square. There is nothing unconstitutional about having the 10 commandments posted in a government building. But it is unconstitutional to prohibit the 10 commandments from being posted in a government building.
See “Establishment” Vs. “Endorsement”
July 1, 2009 at 9:54 pm
If you want to allow the 10 commandments in a government building, you have to allow pages or verses from the Koran (or whatever other Islamic symbol) to be displayed as well. Would you be comfortable with that?
July 1, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Math,
I’m comfortable with the Supreme Court building as it currently stands. Mohammed is up there, along with Moses and the 10 Commandments.
I don’t think Koran verses would be very popular, given the small percentage of Muslims in this country and the jihadist nature of many Koran verses, but I would not consider the presentation of them in a government building to be “establishment” of the Muslim religion.
July 1, 2009 at 11:07 pm
[...] phrase “separation of church and state” is not in our Constitution. [But it is in the 1936 Constitution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.)] Our founders did not believe in keeping religion out of our government. Quite to the contrary, [...]
July 2, 2009 at 10:09 am
Red: Well free speech is not always popular. I commend you for your tolerance. Some of your buddies are not as understanding as you are though. This is the kind of raving lunatics they have to deal with: http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/23/of-donuts-and-dumb-celebrities/
So if they display Catholic relics, they expose themselves to get sued by Muslims, Jews and any other religion to get the right to display their own relics. If they choose to display such relics, they expose themselves to get sued by the raving lunatics I mentioned earlier. The only way they can be totally safe is to refuse all religious relics. That way they can’t be sued by anybody (you can’t sue them to display your relic, the first amendment protects their right to NOT display them).
July 2, 2009 at 11:09 am
Math,
The link you provided didn’t have anything to do with government or lawsuits. It had to do with a private corporation and the free market choice of whether or not to support that corporation.
July 2, 2009 at 11:42 am
It has everything to do with our discussion. It shows the mentality of the people involved. If they get their panties in a bunch over a scarf, what will they say about Koran verses on a wall? You know as well as I do that they would call it terrorist propaganda and sue to get it removed.
I still say not displaying anything is the only thing they can do.
October 6, 2009 at 12:03 pm
While this post is old, I do want to make a comment with regards to the 10 Commandments in government buildings, particularly as a non-historical addition to a Court of the United States.
Upon entering a court, you are to be judged within the framework of the U.S. law. Having a ’10 Commandments’ monument erected within court chambers promotes the environment in which the person to be judged is subjected to idea that he is being judged within the framework of God’s law; God’s law is not U.S. law and thus it ought not to be exhibited in the modern court. Exceptions are made with historical buildings, such as the Capitol, in which the sculpture is the work of an influential artist.
February 11, 2011 at 10:25 am
De-moral-ization Leads to Totalitarianism
February 11, 2011 at 10:27 am
God, Moses, Crosses and the Bible in Our Capitol Building
May 6, 2011 at 8:41 am
When it comes to the Founders and the Constitution, David Barton knows orders of magnitude more than Jon Stewart.
Jon Stewart threw every straw man (that his staff gave him on note cards) that he could at David Barton, and Barton knocked every single one of those straw men down. Barton has spent decades studying thousands of primary source documents. Stewart has spent minutes, possibly hours, studying the note cards his staff gave him. It was no contest. Every time Stewart threw a false accusation at Barton, Barton countered with the truth. And every time, Stewart would interrupt Barton’s answer. Stewart could only crack a joke or change the subject; he couldn’t have a straight-up discussion of the truth.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-4-2011/david-barton-pt–1
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-4-2011/david-barton-pt–2
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-4-2011/exclusive—david-barton-extended-interview-pt–1
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-4-2011/exclusive—david-barton-extended-interview-pt–2
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-may-4-2011/exclusive—david-barton-extended-interview-pt–3
I would love to see a similar discussion between David Barton and “Constitutional Law” lecturer Barack Obama.
When it comes to the Founders and the Constitution, David Barton knows orders of magnitude more than Barack Obama.
May 10, 2011 at 1:44 pm
From WallBuilders
As Discussed with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show: John Adams 1809 Letter
A December 21, 1809 letter by John Adams to Benjamin Rush.
Read Letter »»
As Discussed with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show: Treaty of Tripoli
The 1797 Treaty of Tripoli, specifically article XI, is commonly misused in editorial columns, articles, as well as in other areas of the media, both Christian and secular.
Read Article »»
As Discussed with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show: The Aitken Bible
Robert Aitken’s Bible was the first known English-language Bible to be printed in America, and also the only Bible to receive Congressional approval.
Read Article »»
As Discussed with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show: The Separation of Church and State
In 1947, in the case Everson v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court declared, “The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach.”
Read Article »»
Letters Between the Danbury Baptists and Thomas Jefferson
An 1801 letter from the Danbury Baptists and President Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 response in which he used the famous phrase “a wall of separation between Church and State.”
Read Letters »»
The Founders And Public Religious Expressions
An article with quotes by various Founding Fathers on pubic religious expression.
Read Article »»
June 12, 2011 at 5:40 pm
[...] Separation of Church and State [...]
June 18, 2011 at 7:27 pm
The Intersection of Church and State…
(Hot Air)
(Ben McLeod)
(Lisa Richards)
March 23, 2012 at 11:39 am
Establishment of Atheism