Thomas Jefferson* and the Separation of Church and State

In 1801, the oft persecuted Danbury Baptists sent a letter to TJ expressing their concern over governmental laws suppressing their religious liberty. They wrote TJ because they understood him to be their ally in this fight. The topic of religious liberty was often part of TJ’s history: “No power over the freedom of religion…is delegated to the United States by the Constitution [First Amendment]. And, “In matters of religion I have considered that its free exercise is placed by the Constitution independent of the powers of the general (federal) government” (Barton, p.162).
   As President, in 1802, TJ responded to the Baptists assuring them they had nothing to fear: “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God; that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship; that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only and opinions; I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation of Church and State” (Barton, p162).
   First, neither the Danbury letter, nor TJ’s comments were ever used by any SCOTUS until 1878, where ironically the court affirmed the original historical understanding, that religious expressions were to be protected (Barton, pg163). In this particular case, as support for their position the court actually used TJ’s famous Virginia Statute: “The rightful purposes of civil government are for its officers to interfere when principles break out into overt acts against peace and good order. In this…is found the true distinction between what properly belongs to the Church and what to the State” (Barton, pg164).
   This was the universal understanding of the term “separation of Church and State” until 1947** in the Everson vs Board of Education, where liberals changed its original meaning to its current meaning: ‘Separation of God from the State’. Through academia and media marketing, the liberal application of ‘Separation of church and state’ to the First Amendment words “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”…now means:
-an individual student many not write a research paper on a religious
  topic
-an individual student may not draw religious artwork in an art class
-an individual student may not carry his personal Bible onto school
  grounds
-an individual student may not say a voluntary prayer at a football
  game, graduation, of school event.
-a school may not place a Bible in a classroom library
-a school choir may not sing a religious song as part of a school concert
-a state employee in Minnesota was barred from parking his car in the
   state parking lot because or a religious sticker on his bumper
-a five-year old kindergarten student was forbidden to say a prayer over
   her lunch and was scolded by a teacher for doing so.
-Senior citizens who gathered at a community center in Texas were
   prohibited from praying over their own meals.
-A library employee in Kentucky was barred from wearing a necklace
   with a cross 
-College students serving as residential assistants in Wisconsin were
   prohibited from holding Bible studies in their own dorm rooms on
   their own time (Barton, pg 165,166)
 
   There are literally hundreds of examples like this!!!
 
   In other words, by lifting TJ’s use of the common phrase “separation of Church and State” from its context; combined with word manipulation***, liberals have been able to successfully change the ‘target’ of the First Amendment**** from:
                1.Congress
                     to
                2.Individuals, groups, churches, schools, and businesses!!

   I repeat, the First Amendment begins with the word ‘Congress’****, which can only mean its original target was ‘Congress’! Tragically, if you re-read the incidents cited above, there is not one time where the ‘Separation’ clause was applied to ‘Congress’! Do you think that is an accident? Think again!
   There were 55 individuals who framed the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in 1787; and 90 individuals in the first federal Congress who framed the Bill of Rights; can you possibly believe that not one of them understood the definition of the word “Congress”? On the contrary, this is the liberal slight-of-hand!
 
   In case you missed it, where the ‘Separation’ clause was applied in the above incidents, not one was applied to ‘religion’…but to Christianity!! Do think that is accidental? Think again! Remember, the real face of liberalism hidden under their mask of their supposed compassion and tolerance…is atheism! 
 
 
*Facts in this tidbit taken from historian David Barton’s incredible book “The Jefferson Lies”. It is a must read!!
**In other words, for over 150 years!
***Liberals number one tactic of deception is ‘word manipulation’ which is comprised of two parts: 1.Changing definitions of words; 2.Creating new words.
****“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”
 
 
Quotebit
As long as you live, keep learning how to live. LUCIUS ANNAEUS SENECA (c. 4 B.C.–A.D. 65), Philosopher and statesman