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Chapter
15
U.S. Constitution/Bill Of Rights/Separation Of Church
& State
The first Continental Congress 1774, adopted the Declaration
and Resolves, which was popularly termed the Bill Of Rights. The
Bill of Rights were and are the first ten amendments of the U.S.
Constitution, and were designed to provide basic legal protection
for individual rights.
The first "state" Bill Of Rights was the Virginia
Declaration of Rights, adopted as part of the states first
constitution on June 12, 1776. This declaration served as the
model for the "U.S." Bill Of Rights. Though there were
many to argue over these rights, it was the first Congress under
the New Constitution in which James Madison drafted the Amendment
that became the U.S. Bill Of Rights.
Introduced by Madison to the House Of Representatives on June
8, 1789, the Bill Of Rights was ratified after substantive change
on September 25, 1789, having the ten states needed to pass the
Bill. The last state to ratify the U.S. Bill Of Rights was
Virginia on December 15, 1791.
The first amendment of the Bill Of Rights in the U.S.
Constitution prohibits congress from making any law that abridge
or restrict freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of
the press, or the right to assemble peaceably or petition the
government for redress of grievances.
The number of cases presented to the court system through the
years clearly indicate the differences and difficulties in
deciphering or interpreting the first amendment. Such is the case
of The Separation Of Church And State.
The Separation of Church and State is not a new idea in the
past hundred years of so. The roots of such ideas date back to
the time of Jesus, when He clearly showed that there was a
difference between government and religion. Mark 12-17,
"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God
the things that are God's." This shows an early distinction
between the secular and the spiritual.
During the period of communist rule in Eastern Europe,
governments also separated church and state. However unlike the
U.S. separation which allowed a free choice of religion, the
states in Eastern Europe totally discouraged the practice of any
religion whatsoever.
In the U.S. Separation Of Church And State, the State sort to
remain neutral in religious matters, as the State desired to
avoid wars and persecution over religion. In this the State would
not recognize any one religion. Yet, each person could be a full
member of civil society whether of not they belonged to any
religious fraction.
Yet through the years large areas of dispute exists and
litigation is constantly being challenged over and over with such
issues as: assistance to religious sponsored schools, devotional
practices in public schools, etc. Although the litigation of
Church and State are many, some cases such as Engel V Vitale,
1962, has greatly disrupted the school system.
Due to the 1962, litigation, it was ruled by the court system
that; public schools could observe a moment of silence in which
children may pray if they wish, but schools could not conduct
devotional exercises, compose prayer, read the Bible or conduct
religious instruction, as was done in the past.
NOTE: In the rest of this chapter the word "man" represents the
State.
So the Separation Of Church And State has been defined through
the Bill Of Rights, interpreted through cases which have been
presented to the court system since the eighteenth century.
I believe that due to harassment of minority religious orders
and the more established orders, the court system was left with
the task of solving the difference between them. Yet through out
the years, the courts have been faced with case after case of
religious issues. Inundated with the rivalry of different
religious fractions who stand opposed, the court endeavored to
more clearly define the measure in the first amendment of the
Bill Of Rights in the U.S. Constitution.
In the 1960's, I recall John F. Kennedy standing before a crowd
saying, "I am for the Separation of Church and State."
It was after this statement in another religious squabble, the
court amended the original Bill Of Rights. So that the first
amendment of the Bill Of Rights which said the State would not
recognize any religious establishment, was amended or redefined
by the court to mean; "The Church was religious and the
State was secular.
The dictionary says that secular means; worldly, not of the
Church. So it is true, for Scripture tells us that there is a
difference between God and this world. So if we can understand
the meaning of the word secular, we are in all actuality saying,
that the State is run by men and not by God. In this men place
themselves above God. So that the Separation of Church And State
has become a document divorcing God.
So again, the Bill Of Rights says, the State will not
recognize any religious establishment. The court redefining this
measure in the Bill Of Rights says that the reason that the State
will not recognize any religious establishment is because , the
Church is religious and the State is not!
In another case before the court, in an attempt to remove
prayer from the school system, the religious stated that "prayer
and Bible reading promoted certain morals and student discipline."
None the less, as we can see today, prayer has been removed from
the schools, because the court decided, "the Church is religious
and the State is not!" The results of this decision has indeed resulted in a lack of morals and student discipline. Some good examples of this are the violence, drugs, and school shooting in our school systems. In this amendment, handed down by the court system, man creates division
saying, the Church is, the State is not. In this man has created
division between himself and God.
So as man feels he is now above God, having brought about
division, the end result of the Separation of Church And State
is; lack of morals and discipline! This has brought about what I
call, " The Demoralized Plague," not only in our schools system, but
throughout the whole land.
A secular society now rules. God no longer exists! So it is
now man who must save man. In this society having removed God,
man's secular rule dictates that ; he is the product of a natural
process called, "evolution". Evolution is the act of a
development of an organic species. In layman terms evolution
suggests that: man has evolved into the creature he is today, and
was not created by God!
The Bible tells us in Genesis that : "Man was created in
God's image." Yet, the secular evolutionists say; 'Man has
evolved from an organic species.' So in this, God does not exist.
So then, it is therefore man who is responsible for man's
development. In this man has made himself, God, with the
Separation Of Church And State.
