| The Constitution | ||
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"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; . . . ." First Amendment " . . . no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust . . . ." Article VI | ||
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Our Presidents
"Every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his
religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshiping the Deity according to the dictates
of his own conscience."
"The government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian
religion, -- as it has itself no character of enmity against the law, religion or tranquillity of
Musselmen."
" ... no man shall be compelled to support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever
.... To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which
he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical. All men shall be free to profess and by argument to
maintain their opinions in matters of religion."
" ... I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared
that their legislature should `make no law respecting establishment of religion or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between church and state."
. . . the number, the industry,
and the morality of the priesthood and the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased
by the total separation of the Church from the State."
"Declare church and state forever separate and distinct; but each free within their proper spheres."
"I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish - where no
public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National
Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source -- no religious body seeks to impose its
will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials -- and
where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all."
"Last year I was on Pat Robertson's show, and we discussed our basic Christian faith -
for instance, separation of church and state. It's contrary to my beliefs to try to exalt Christianity
as having some sort of preferential status in the United States. That violates the Constitution.
I'm not in favor of mandatory prayer in school or of using public funds to finance religious education."
"Thank God, under our Constitution there was no connection between Church and State,
and that in my action as President of the United States I recognized no distinction of creeds
in my appointments office."
"I hold that in this country there must be complete severance of Church and State;
that public moneys shall not be used for the purpose of advancing any particular creed;
and therefore that the public schools shall be non-sectarian and no public moneys
appropriated for sectarian schools."
"I could not do otherwise without transcending the limits prescribed by the Constitution
for the President and without feeling that I might in some degree disturb the security
which religion nowadays enjoys in this county in its complete separation from the
political concerns of the General Government."
"Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither justice nor
freedom can be permanently maintained. Its interests are intrusted to the States and the voluntary
action of the people. Whatever help the nation can justly afford should be generously given
to aid the States in supporting common schools; but it would be unjust to our people
and dangerous to our institutions to apply any portion of the revenues of the nation
or of the States to the support of sectarian schools.
The separation of Church and State in everything relating to taxation should be absolute."
"If any sect suffered itself to be used for political objects I would meet it
by political opposition. In my view church and state should be separate, not
only in form, but fact. Religion in politics should not be mingled."
"When a group of Christians try to implant through government our beliefs on
others as superior, that subverts the basic constitutional prohibition
concerning separation of church and state. And when we try to use the federal
government to intercede in religious affairs, it inherently weakens the unique
character of Christ's Kingdom." |
Religious Right Leaders
"We often hear of the `constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.' Of course,
as you know, that phrase appears nowhere in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. .... We do
find this phrase in the constitution of another nation, however .... that of the Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics - an atheistic nation sworn to the destruction of the United States of
America."
"They (the `radical left') have kept us in submission because they have talked about the
separation of church and state. There is no such thing in the Constitution. It's a lie of the left,
and we're not going to take it anymore."
"There is nothing in the US Constitution that sanctifies the separation of church and state."
"The separation of church and state is (1) Not a teaching of the founding fathers; (2) Not an
historical teaching; (3) Not a teaching of law (except in recent years); (4) Not a biblical teaching.
In summary, there should be absolutely no `separation of church and state' in America."
"I believe this notion of the separation of church and state was the figment of some infidel's
imagination."
"(Separation of church and state is) a Socialist myth."
"In no uncertain terms the (Supreme) court must hear the words which express the pent up
sentiments of Americans throughout this wonderful country. .... TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!"
"Our purpose must be to spread the gospel on the new mission field that the Lord has opened -
public high schools. .... Yes, the so-called `wall of separation' between church and state has
begun to crumble."
"If we can get (a private school voucher plan) through in one state then that's the foot in the door.
That's what I want. I want to see it passed in one state and let it go through the courts to remove
that notion of separation of church and state."
"(T)oday instead of protecting our right to freely exercise our religious faith in public places,
publicly honoring our God and Creator as our forefathers did, we are forbiddon to speak, to
pray aloud, to read the Bible, to even teach Judeo-Christian values in our public schools
and other public places because of an imaginary 'wall of separation' conjured by nonbelievers."
"What Christians have got to do is take back this country, one precinct at a time,
one neighborhood at a time and one state at a time. I honestly believe that
in my lifetime we will see a country once again governed by Christians . . .
and Christian values."
"I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you.
I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good . . . .
Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a biblical duty, we are called
by God, to conquer this county. We don't want equal time.
We don't want pluralism." |
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