alt.education

http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20080322/cm_thenation/1301487


Bush Whacks the Wall of Separation

John Nichols Sat Mar 22, 10:32 AM ET

The Nation -- Thomas Jefferson observed in his January 1, 1802 letter to
the Danbury Baptists that America was not a church state.


As such, he explained, it was the president's duty to refrain from displays
of religious devotion.

"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,"
wrote Jefferson. "[Congress thus inhibited from acts respecting religion,
and the Executive authorized only to execute their acts, I have refrained
from presenting even occasional performances of devotion presented indeed
legally where an Executive is the legal head of a national church, but
subject here, as religious exercises only to the voluntary regulations and
discipline of each respective sect.] Adhering to this expression of the
supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall
see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend
to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right
in opposition to his social duties."

Note the phrase: "I have refrained from presenting even occasional
performances of devotion presented indeed legally where an Executive is the
legal head of a national church..."

Now, note, George W. Bush's Easter Weekend radio address, in which the
Jefferson's successor as president of the United States, quoted from and
repeatedly referenced the Christian Bible. The address was every bit as
religious in tone and text as those delivered today by the leaders of
theocratic states that identify as having an officially-sanctioned faith.

Sounding more like a pastor than a president, Bush spoke of remembering
remember "a sacrifice that transcended the grave and redeemed the world"
and "the gift that took away death's sting and opened the door to eternal
life."

Bush, like every American, has a right to pronounce his religious beliefs.

But when he does so as president -- particularly in a nationally broadcast
radio address -- he goes beyond an expression of faith.

The president speaks not merely for himself but for the country.

That ought to be unsettling both to secularists and to sincere people of
faith -- especially when Bush declares, with a bias more toward the "Onward
Christian Soldiers" camp than the "thou shalt not kill" teachings of the
Nazarene's followers, that "America is blessed with the world's greatest
military..."

Perhaps, in light of that final comment, it is best to close with another
quote from our third president.

"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just," wrote
Jefferson, "(and) that His justice cannot sleep forever."

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You are invited to check out the following:

The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm

American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm

The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html

[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]

HRSepCnS · Historical Reality SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/

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. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
. . .
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USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote

"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"

That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.

It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.

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THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
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