Separation of church and state

Separation of church and state is an interpretation of the Establishment Clause of the United States Constitution, particularly favored by atheists and those who realize that God may have created man, but 'He' was not a member of the Continental Congress. The section in question reads "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof....". This phrase has been interpreted by some judges to exclude religion from Government and public life by declaring that Church and state must be kept separate. Conservatives have long criticized this interpretation as being without justification in the text or meaning of the First Amendment.

Keeping the State from the Church's Influence

Thomas Jefferson, the least religious of the Founding Fathers and one of the few who played no role in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution or the First Amendment, first coined the phrase as president in 1802 - a decade after the First Amendment was ratified.. Jefferson used the phrase to appease the Danbury Baptist Association rather than recite an objective interpretation of the law. At the end of his letter, in reflection of how Jefferson himself did not interpret his own phrase to exclude religion from government, he expressed prayers for the letter's recipients:

To messers. Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, & Stephen S. Nelson, a committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut.

Gentlemen

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, & 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 & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & 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 & 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 & blessing of the common father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves & your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem.

Th Jefferson

Jan. 1. 1802 [1]

The Treaty of Tripoli, drafted during Washington's presidency and ratified by John Adams, states that "The government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." Many proponents of a Christian America point out that the treaty was superseded by the Treaty of Peace and Amity in 1805 (although the superseding of the treaty does not change John Adams' secular view of the United States).

Separating the Church from the State's Influence

Like many political doctrines, the separation of church & state is a double-edged sword. If religion cannot influence government, nor can government influence religion. Accordingly, churches and religious organizations are kept from government intrusion with the highest deference to ecclesiastical matters. For example, Title VII contains a built-in exception for religious organizations. The provision has been construed to allow churches to handle their ministerial matters without government intrusion in any way. In this sense, separation of church & state is good for the church, as it ensures religious autonomy.