The Wall Of Separation

It is to our everlasting shame that these days when the subject of the so-called "wall of separation" is brought up, it is given a reverence that ought to be reserved for matters actually contained in the U.S. Constitution, and not those that some with a decidedly anti-American agenda would have you to falsely believe is in the Constitution!

This intentional perversion is the result of someone's deliberate misrepresentation of Thomas Jefferson's response to a letter written to him by a group known as the Danbury Baptist Association. (see link). http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/misc/danbury.htm I believe to understand exactly what Jefferson was alluding to with his term "wall of separation" one must read both the original letter from the Danbury Baptists, and Jefferson's response in entirety to get a fuller appreciation of what he meant.

Whatever conclusion you arrive at, one or two things should be clear to you:

Jefferson whether right or wrong was stating his opinion, not law!

His opinion was not an expression of limiting or restricting religion, as it has arguably become; rather it was an expression on the limits of government, as were each of the other four rights enumerated in the 1st Amendment!

Think about it logically; if you look at the other first amendment rights, there can be no question that their inclusion was to place specific limits on government. Does it make sense then that the founders would suddenly stop in that line of logic and inure into one of the five a limitation on the individual?

It is called the 'establishment' clause, telling us what (as the other four do) either government shall not do or what the people have the right to do! It is not the 'wall of separation' clause, as it has come to be known colloquially. None of these clauses ever specify a limitaion on the people! But that is exactly what the proponents of the so-called 'wall of separaton clause' would have you believe!

Try considering the matter this way; if there be a wall of separation in any of the 1st amendment clauses, then there must be a wall of separation in all of the clauses for its intent to be consistent.

I believe that the proponents of such blather don't believe the hype they're selling themselves! They desperately hope that the rest of us or enough of us will believe it so that they can move forward in their quest to replace God in this nation with government!

Now if you happen to be one of those who believe that government is the cradle-to-grave answer to the human condition, while I respect your right to have your own opinion, I will respectfully continue to disagree with it!

I believe that the correctness of opinions or beliefs will be proved or disproved under the inevitable weight of time. Time has and is revealing that America, flawed as it may have been in its founding, was the best and brightest hope for mankind, in terms of government, because it was, despite 'enlightened' protestations to the contrary, founded as a nation with Judeo-Christian values, and for self-governance.

We must remember that Christianity was not founded for the perfect, but that we might through faith, fellowship and love, strive for perfection.

And America was not founded for the just the privileged, but for any and all who want the opportunity to make a better life for themselves, their family, and their posterity!

That means that we have and are going to make mistakes along the way, and be chastened along the way as well. Abraham Lincoln expressed this beautifully in his second inaugural address when he said "Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

It is through this chastisement that we get closer to perfection, for we do understand that as a Christian nation, "the Lord chasteneth whom he loveth!" And as long as we have the goal of perfection to strive for, we will keep being better and better along the way!

Also, much like Christianity, America was founded to give one an opportunity; an opportunity to have a better life here in the temporal, as Christianity gives an opportunity to have everlasting life in the spiritual.

We were once known as the land of opportunity! Unfortunately, through the concerted machinations of those who believe in big government and socialism, we now equate opportunity with government programs!