Separation of Church and State

The U.S. Constitution First Ammendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...."

"Religion" is the belief, value or practice of the values of a religious leader. Why was this ammendment so important since Christianity, Universalism, Deism and Atheism were the predominant "religions" in America when the Constitution was written? (Of all these Athesim is the only thought which does not fit the definition of a religion.)  The correct answer is that European governments either were or had been under the offical Papal Religion, Catholicism. Even the Kings and Emperors were held accountable to the Pope! In England Anglicism was the state religion. Our founders learned from denominational influences and the intoleration of how different people view Christ.

In America we had official colonial religions. Six colonies had the Church of England (Episcopalian) Denomination as the state religion: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Florida and Virginia. Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire had state religions of the Congregational Denomination. Members of Baptists, Quakers, Methodists and other denominations were ostracized, jailed and driven from their homes by intolerant state governments. All of these are denominations, all part of the Christian religion. None were pagan religions!

My proposition is that the First Ammendment was in response to State CHRISTIAN Churches and our founders never dreamed that we would seriously entertain the notion of American Moslems, American Swedenborgians, American Buddhists, etc. The intent was surely to NOT have a Christian Denomination as a State Religion.  Our founders never considered atheism as a "religion" and by definition it's not. However, by removing all religion from all government entities means that the nation as established ATHEISM as THE state religion.

My second point is in the statement  "or prohiniting the free exercise thereof".  Part two of the First Ammendment actually allows Americans to worship freely (or not) anywhere!  Government officials must have the opportunity to worship God in all their dealings, just as our founding fathers who wrote the First Ammendment did.  I won't quote all the religious references for they are legion, but any scholar can find them all through the writings of the patriots.

"But" you say "what if someone from another religion is offended by the worship of Christ?"  The Consitution nowhere guarantees a right "not to be offended"! If it did, I'm offended by so much the government does that the government would be paralyzed if people as myself are treated with the tolerance that the loudmouths in the ACLU and atheists are given!  Natural Law is the Judeo/Christian belief in America. Most of our laws are based on Natural Law. Hence, we are a Judeao/Christian nation whether one likes it or not.

The goal of many from the progressive spectrum is to make take Natural Law and thus Judeo/Christianity out of the laws of the nation. Whereas Chrisitanity is based on freedom, secularism is based on anarchy, Marxism, pleasure and humanism.  Secular Humanism IS atheism and it is fast becoming the National Religion under the current repressive regime.

"But" you say "in a democracy we should have the freedom from religion!".  First off, "democracy" is not a Christian concept. It has been "good" in the past for Christianity, but it is at the root more "secular humanist" in nature.  The U.S. is a REPUBLIC. It was made so to protect the rights of the minority. Whereas, atheists at one time were the minority (and were protected) now Christians need that same protection (as a minority) that we once gave to the atheists!

The "wall of separation of Church and State" does not exist in the Constitution (as you can read yourself in the First Ammendment provided above). Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to appease the Baptists in a letter to the Danberry Baptists (a minority) who feared persecution from the Congregational state denominational church. He took this statement from the wrtings of Roger Williams who pioneered the Baptist denomination in the colony of Rhode Island back in 1644. In other words even if the "wall" was there it was to protect Christianity, not to hinder it!

What government/religion combination does the Bible endorse? Certainly not kingships! Certainly not dictatorships, and certainly not democracy. The ordained government of the Jews (our only reference) was a nation devoted to the One True God, following God's Laws (Natural Law) with Judges administering justice and deciding punishment.  That system worked until the Jews wanted to be as the pagans and have kings!

Will their be a "wall between church and state" in the goverment of the Apocolypse (end of time)? No! There will be a state religion and that religion will be anti-Christian (anything allowed but Christianity) and it's leader will be the dictator who Scripture refers to as the anti-Christ.  We'll never be able to prevent that religion from being established because it's prophesied, but we must delay it!  To delay anti-Christianity we must maintain Christianity in not only our private lives, but our public as well! God tells us to follow him in ALL things, not to exclude government!

What can we do as Christians? Don't fall for the lie of "separation of Church and State"!  Wherever and whenever you can, worship publically and fulfill the Great Commission... convert others to Christ! As the church grew under Paul's and the persecution of the Nazarenes, so also it can grow today under persecution!