Tearing Down Imaginary Walls

By: American Decency Staff

By Chris Johnson The first line of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States has caused a considerable amount of controversy. In fact, there was even concern regarding the meaning of the amendment ten years after it was added to the Constitution. In answer to a letter from the Danbury Baptist Church which expressed concern that religious freedom was treated not as a human right but as a favor from the state, Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1802 to assuage the congregation's anxiety with the following words, which have since been warped to mean the opposite of the original intent: Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & 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 not 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 between Church and State. It seems as if Jefferson wrote the line, the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, in answer to a line in the Baptists' letter which said … no man ought to suffer in name, person, or effects on account of his religious opinions–that the legitimate power of civil government extends no further than to punish the man who works ill to his neighbors. In other words, what Jefferson was saying was that when the Constitution said, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," it meant that the religious beliefs of those in power must not affect the right of their constituents to abide by their own beliefs. The only duty of the government in terms of religion is to ensure that that no man harms another man by way of practicing his religion and that no man prohibits another man from practicing his religion. What the First Amendment was written to prevent is as simple as the words it consists of. Many of the original settlers who came to the United States did so to escape the persecution of the Anglican Church, the established, official church of England. At that time, the English government did not allow belief in any other religion or denomination. To prevent this, the framers of the Constitution made the matter of religious freedom the first point of the First Amendment to the Constitution: " Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…" That is a far cry from the modern interpretation of the First Amendment via Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists. Far from enforcing a "wall of separation between Church and State" as Jefferson intended (which was that the state would leave the church alone), the government has used the "wall of separation" argument to establish atheism as the state religion of the United States. After all, you can't have a value neutral government. Either all belief systems will be treated equally, or one belief system will be preferred above the rest. And the preferred belief system pushed by the government at this point is atheism or, more accurately, Secular Humanism. Why do I say that Secular Humanism is the established religion for America in 2011? Here's how Merriam-Webster defines humanism: " a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values; especially : a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason." Secular Humanism simply takes away the "usually" qualifier for "rejects supernaturalism" in the above definition. One of the great voices calling for an end to Secular Humanism's Status, David Noebel, explains below how Secular Humanism can be said to be the favorite of the government today. " To verify that a number of major tenets of Secular Humanism are taught in public schools, one only needs to compare Secular Humanist beliefs with what is actually being presented through public school textbooks. For example, any text on psychology includes what are considered the primary voices in that field: Abraham Maslow, Eric Fromm, Carl Rogers, and B. F. Skinner, to name a few. Yet, each of these men are atheists who have been selected as “Humanist of the Yearâ€Â by a major Secular Humanist organization. So why are almost all the psychologists studied in school Secular Humanists? Why are no Christian psychologists included in the curriculum? Is this balanced treatment of the subject matter being taught?" Another example would be the public school's refusal to teach creation as well as evolution. The scientists will say that that is because religion and science don't mix, but in reality, scientists not only don't look for evidence of God, they reject any evidence that might point towards Him. And refusing to accept evidence is not science, it's ideology. Secular Humanism is not an alternative to religion. It is simply an alternative religion. This is why the twisted "separation of church and state" argument cannot work. In fact, it completely violates the actual meaning of the first amendment. This is what it comes down to: If the government "builds a wall" to protect itself from all theistic beliefs, it inherently sponsors Humanism. However, if the government "builds a wall" around the church to protect religious belief from government meddling, it can treat all religions equally. The fact is, the issue comes down to this question. Does the "right" of someone to not be offended by a cross in a cemetery or a prayer in a school trump the right of someone to practice his religion. The answer has to be no. It is not the job of the state to keep us from offending each other anymore than it is the state's job to tell us what to believe, and were the words of the First Amendment to be examined in their own merit, rather than the unfortunately worded letter of Thomas Jefferson, the argument against everything from prayer in the classroom to the Ten Commandments at the courthouse would be left without a leg to stand on. ========================================================== Your support is important to our ability to make a difference. Donate online at: https://secure4.afo.net/ada/donate.php American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. American Decency Association Bill Johnson, President P.O. Box 202 Fremont, MI 49412 ph: 231-924-4050 www.americandecency.org http://www.twitter.com/billwjohnson

---