Speaking of the Separation of Church and State...my friend the Jehovah's Witness forwarded me an email from the sole conservative in our organization of bleeding heart liberals that took me quite aback.
I had never heard of the phrase "Radical Separationism" and was amazed that such a thing existed. Let's start with the beginning:
BreakPoint with Charles Colson
Commentary #030708 - 7/8/2003
Historic Preservation: The 'Wall of Separation'
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Radical separationism starts with the basics of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause -- that there is to be no official government church in the United States -- but then takes it a long step further: Government must not help religion at all, even remotely.
Wouldn't that be the ideal? Wouldn't that ensure that no church/religion ever became the state religion?
Radical separationists see themselves as heirs of Thomas Jefferson. During his presidency, Jefferson wrote a letter to a Baptist group in Danbury, Connecticut, in which he described the First Amendment as having set up a "wall of separation" between church and state.
That is the origin of the "wall of separation" metaphor: not the Constitution, or any of its amendments; not the Declaration of Independence -- just a letter from a president to the Danbury Baptists. He wrote the letter to assure them that the federal government could not set up a state church and thereby disenfranchise those, like Baptists, who would be unwilling to join that state church. This had been the history of Baptists in England, and they were concerned. The president's letter put their minds at ease by assuring them that, as religious believers, they had a place in the public square that could not be taken away from them.
Regrettably, the Supreme Court took up the "wall" metaphor and misapplied it. Thus the phrase that Jefferson used to reassure religious people became the instrument of radical separationism
But...again, isn't this a good thing? Doesn't this ensure that all religions are given their individual freedom from state interference?
However, the Court has since retreated to a more equality-based view: When the government is administering a generally available aid program, religious applicants for that aid must be treated the same as secular applicants. Discrimination against the religious applicants is not a "separation of church and state" in keeping with the First Amendment; it's anti-religious bias, a violation of the First Amendment.
This is the part that burns my butt. These people want to have it both ways!!! They don't want the government mucking about in their religion or their religious practices, but yet the feel that if they don't get special treatment as a group, they are being discriminated against!! You need to pick one, people!!! You can't take government money and then turn around and refuse government regulation!!! If you are going to take government money, you need to follow the non-discrimination laws of your state. You need to hire atheists and pagans! You need to give housing and insurance to gays!!! You need to refrain from giving sermons to applicants for services!!!
It just seriously makes me want to scream that they are running around saying that they are being persecuted becuase they can't say prayers over a loudspeaker and put copies of the 10 commandments in the hallways in public schools but try and put up a copy of the Wiccan rede in a church-run community center and see how far you get!!! And they would be right because it's a PRIVATELY RUN community center. But if they start taking government money do you think they are going to start letting folks put up Shiva idols all over the place? Or Buddhist shrines??? Or have an Islamic prayer room?? Goddess no!!! And is that right!?!?!?! HELL NO!!!!! But will the government allow that sort of state sanctioned discrimination!?!? If we don't get rid of the one we have now then the answer will be yes! They will!!
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3:23 AM
