Great thoughts MURACU,

However, here’s how it was written:

The first amendment reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

Of particular note is that “…the words: "separation", "church", and "state" do not even appear in the first amendment.”

So where did they come from? Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter on January 1, 1802, addressed to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut. “The congregation heard a widespread rumor that the Congregationalists, another denomination, were to become the national religion.”

The local community was extremely alarmed because of earlier hardships with state established churches.

“Jefferson made it clear in his letter to the Danbury Congregation that the separation was to be that government would not establish a national religion or dictate to men how to worship God.”

Jefferson wrote:

I contemplate with solemn 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. (1)

1. Thomas Jefferson, Jefferson Writings, Merrill D. Peterson, ed. (NY: Literary Classics of the United States, Inc., 1984), p. 510, January 1, 1802.


"...the separation was to be that government would not establish a national religion or dictate to men how to worship God.”
What a shame such a simple premise has been torgued and twisted by self-serving individuals. In it's purity, it provided protection to the people from the government dictating to the citizens how we should worship God, if we chose to or chose not to..." or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

cheers