The Constitution and the Separation of Church and State
22nd October 2010
David Friedman is always worth reading.
Christine O’Donnell has been widely mocked for expressing doubt as to the presence in the Constitution of separation of church and state. As you can see from the First Amendment, quoted in full above, she is correct and her critics are mistaken. Not only do the words not appear in the Constitution, the idea does not appear either. Establishment of religion was a well understood concept; it meant an official state church, supported by government money. England had had such an arrangement since at least the sixteenth century and still does. So, currently, do Denmark, Norway, and Iceland (all Lutheran), as well as lots of Muslim countries. When the First Amendment was passed, Connecticut and Massachusetts had established churches.
October 22nd, 2010 at 18:12
The rules for the MSM (1) mock first, (2) don’t research the question, (3) sweep the fact that you’re wrong under the rug, (4) repeat from (1).
October 23rd, 2010 at 16:18
1st Amendment to the Constitution, passed 25 Sep 1789: “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 grievance.”
October 23rd, 2010 at 16:20
And your point is…?