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 and State. Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. Jefferson was describing to the Baptists that the United States Bill of Rights prevents the establishment of a national church, and in so doing they did not have to fear government interference in their manner of worship. Now the Supreme Court uses this statement as a reference to the laws which actually infringe upon others beliefs, regardless of what their beliefs are. But thats OK, since SCOTUS also approved the use of the separate but equal doctrine followed by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. So its gotta be OK right?
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 19:12:16 +0000
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