Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; 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.
~First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America
The phrase “separation of church and state” does not appear in the first amendment, nor does it appear in any of the foundational documents in American history. The actual phrase is widely used, and incorrectly, by those who would push for the abolition of any religious practices within any body of government.
We do not want in America what we had in Great Britain. We don’t want one denomination running the nation. We will not all be Catholics, or Anglicans, or any other single denomination. We do want God’s principles, but we don’t want one denomination running the nation.
~Congressional Records of our American founders, June 7th – September 25th, 1789
As we can see from the quote above, our forefathers were in complete understanding that God’s principles were desired within our government, but the purpose of the first amendment was to prohibit an institutionalized church, to which all must attend.
So where did the phrase “separation between church and state” come from?
In the year 1801, in Connecticut, the Danbury Baptist Association heard a rumor that the government was planning on making the Congregationalist denomination the official denomination of the nation. However Thomas Jefferson wrote the Danbury Baptists and told them, ”the First Amendment has erected a wall of separation between church and state”.
So the first true quotation of the aforementioned saying was simply telling a religious organization that there would be no nationalized denomination – not that the practices of religion would be prohibited within the body of government, nor the expression thereof.
"Had the people (the Founding Fathers), during the Revolution, had a suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle. At the time of the adoption of the Constitution and the amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged, but not any one sect (denomination)…. In this age, there is no substitute for Christianity…. That was the religion of the founders of the republic, and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants."
~House Report from Judiciary Committees of House and Senate, May 27th, 1854. Senate Report reflected the same ideals
"The great, vital, and conservative element in our system is the believe of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
~Judiciary Committee Declaration, one month after original House Report
As we can see from the quotes above, directly taken from our founding fathers and documents, the separation between church and state was never intended as a religious divide. Nor was it intended to drive a wedge between religion and governance.
The purpose for this post was to guide the ignorant, and bring to light the flawed logic of those who would use the aforementioned concept against the TRUE foundation of Christianity being the true recognized, and universal religion, of the United States of America.
The purpose is to correct the lies stating our forefathers were not Christians.
God-Bless. Let truth reign. Let ignorance be denied.
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