The Legitimacy of Separation of Church and State

I will be against the practice of "Separation of Church and State." I don't have any set rules, so you can either make the first round acceptance or you can make it an argument. My first direction of opposition: The separation of church and state is NOT in the Constitution. The First Amendment says: "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 grievances." This "Establishment Clause" was misinterpreted. "At an absolute minimum, the Establishment Clause was intended to prohibit the federal government from declaring and financially supporting a national religion, such as existed in many other countries at the time of the nation's founding. It is far less clear whether the Establishment Clause was also intended to prevent the federal government from supporting Christianity in general. Proponents of a narrow interpretation of the clause point out that the same First Congress that proposed the Bill of Rights also opened its legislative day with prayer and voted to apportion federal dollars to establish Christian missions in the Indian lands. On the other hand, persons seeing a far broader meaning in the clause point to writings by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison suggesting the need to establish "a wall of separation" between church and state." ~ http://law2.umkc.edu... Now, these writings by Thomas Jefferson are also misinterpreted. The original letter he wrote said: (credit to: http://www.free2pray.info...) "To Messrs. Nehemiah Dodge and Others, a Committee of the Danbury Baptist Association, in the State of Connecticut Gentleman, The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist Association, give me the highest satisfaction. My duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing. 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 legislative 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. 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. I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem. Th. Jefferson January 1, 1802 " What he means by "separation of church and state" was only to protect the Danbury church from government infiltration and rules. He never intended government to take the religion away from the state, but only to prevent the state from taking the religion away. Now, back to the First Amendment, in case somebody wants to argue about it. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." This was only said to prevent America to set a national religion. They created this Amendment because they didn't want another "Church of England" incident again. "....or prohibiting the free exercise thereof....." To connect this with the history of "separation of church and state" is a double standard. If you suspend a student from school because he prayed aloud during lunch, or if he participated in morning prayer, that is infringement of the "free exercise thereof." (I can bring up my examples of praying aloud or participated in morning prayer cases up, in case you think I'm just making things up.) So. I'm the Con against the practice of "Separation of Church and State."