Before anybody gets in an uproar over this post, read through it carefully. I am all for the constitutional meaning of the separation of church and state which states 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.”

Nowhere in the U.S. Constitution does it state the words “Separation of Church and State”, the amendment give all Americans the right to choose what religion they want to be part of, Be it Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim or any other religion.

In my opinion, the First Amendment is the single most important part of the Constitution. It protects some of the most basic human rights and reflects a view of the dangerous places government might tread.  Some of the first colonists of the nation for which the Constitution was written had been seeking to escape religious persecution. The constitutions of several of the states prohibited public support of religion (though some did explicitly support or demand adherence to Christianity). Above all, the many varying sects of Christianity in America required that to be fair to all, there could be preference to none. It would have been disgraceful for anyone to wish to leave the United States because of religious persecution. So the authors decided it best to keep the government out of religion. This is not to say that the United States was not or is not a religious nation. Religion plays a big role in the everyday life of Americans, then and now. But what the authors were striving for is tolerance… something I fear contemporary Americans are lacking.

So while we all are debating over should prayer be allowed in schools or before a city council meeting, maybe those who are saying we should not have it should read the constitution more fully and not try to dictate their beliefs on everyone, just as those religious fanatics should not try to fore their view on those that do not agree with them.

That’s all I have to say at this time. Any comments will be looked at and are appreciated.