The Separation Between Church and State

Here's a quick test about history. Do you know which article of the Constitution or Bill of Rights contains the phrase “separation of Church and State"? Guess what? It is not located in either document. This is what the Constitution says in the First Amendment: “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.” Many rules concerning religion and frequent debates have come from the first 16 words of this statement.

A January 1, 1802, letter from Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists is the origin of the phrase “separation of Church and State” that we hear repeated often. Taking a quote from the first phrase of the First Amendment, Jefferson stated, “...thus building a wall of separation between Church and State." This phrase is often quoted wrong as "separation of Church and State".

Originally, the intention was to shield the government from being affected too much by religion; it was also meant to protect the rights of citizens to express their religious beliefs without interference or fear of retribution. For some reason, that part of the amendment appears to have been misplaced or not remembered.

There are so many stories about teachers who cannot bring their Bibles to school just for their own free reading, or students who are allegedly told that they cannot write about the Bible while other kids get to write about Harry Potter. Although I'm unable to give reliable references to these tales, there is the tale of "The Sneeze."

Washington Community High School was given a restraining order to stop prayer during graduation. As graduate Ryan Brown made his way to the podium to address the audience, he paused. As he clasped his hands and lowered his head quietly in prayer, the audience hollered joyfully and clapped their hands. During his presentation, Ryan deliberately sneezed. Many of the fellow graduating students shouted, "God bless you!" Ryan succeeded in bringing the prayer many students wanted to the ceremony, within the confines of the legal limitations. The Chicago Tribune of May 21, 2001, was the source of that story.

It bothers me to watch so many traditions pushed aside just to go along with the laws of the First Amendment. After doing research for this writing assignment, I have more knowledge about the Founding Father's original plans to stop one person's beliefs from being forced onto another person using government agencies. I can imagine how it would feel to belong to a religion that differs from that of most people and be forced to take part in beliefs to which I do not subscribe. Being asked to place my hand on a Quran and swear to Allah to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is something I would not be willing to do. I can understand a Muslim might be reluctant to do this with a Bible.

Quite a bit of history can be found when visiting the government websites of Archives and the Library of Congress. We are very blessed to live in an era of instant access to our distant past and veritable heritage.

About the Author

As a legal secretary, Lindsey Malberg has always been fascinated with law, especially laws stemming from the Constitution. She researches many topics, using legal tabs to keep track of key phrases and important information she needs to remember. She also uses other legal exhibit tabs from her local Qwik Tabs to ensure she will never lose any information or paperwork.