Separation of Church and State.

Since the last presidential campaign, and President Trump’s promise to build a wall on our southern border, I’ve seen several memes showing a Church and a Capitol building with a large brick wall between them, and the caption “Build THIS wall”. The context is always the same. “Keep your filthy Christianity away from my precious, precious, Government”. Note that the memes always depict a Christian Church, never a Synagogue, Buddhist Temple, Mosque or any other House of Worship. Those who post these memes always accuse those of us who advocate for return to Christian values (the basis of Western Civilization) of wanting to institute a Theocracy (a complete falsehood), However, Islam, an actual Political Theocracy gets a pass.

What these memes ALWAYS lack is a historical context. The phrase “separation of Church and State” was coined by President Jefferson, in an 1803 letter to the Danbury (Massachusetts) Baptist Association, wherein he assured them that his Government wouldn’t interfere with their religious exercise. The establishment clause of the First Amendment has ALWAYS been about protecting the Church from the Government, not the other way around. The Founders knew first-hand, the political skullduggery that resulted from a State Religion (the Church of England). People had been coming to America for the expressed purpose of religious freedom for almost two hundred years before the United States existed as a nation.

I’ve heard repeatedly, the bilge that the Founders were all Deists, who disdained, but tolerated religion. While I have no doubt that some of the Founders WERE Deists, not ALL of them were. They were individuals, just like all of us. George Washington was a man of profound Christian faith. Thomas Jefferson was pretty agnostic. Ben Franklin was practically an atheist. But, even the nonbelievers (like Franklin), recognized the value of Christian doctrine (Honesty, charity, brotherhood and justice) as the basis of a civilized society. Jefferson (a proponent of Public Education) even advocated teaching the Bible in Public Schools, at TAXPAYER expense!  ALL of the Ivy League Universities started out as Christian Seminaries. On the day of his inauguration, in 1789, George Washington lead his Cabinet, BOTH houses of Congress, and the Supreme Court to a small chapel near the Capitol, to pray and consecrate their newly minted country and government to God. And, they ALL went with him! Hardly the actions of men who disdained religion.

We can’t allow our history to be erased, under the theory that previous generations weren’t as Woke as we are. In that direction lies tyranny.