On May 8, 6:11=A0am, Middle Class Warrior <eelder...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> s****hawkwrote:
> > On May 8, 1:02 am, buckeye <buckeye...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >> US Government Sponsored Prayers and The Pledge of
Allegiancehttp://bbsn=
ews.net/article.php/20080501163949996
> >> [excerpt]
>
> >> =A0Thursday, May 01 2008 @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
04:39 PM EDT
> >> Edited by: Michael Hess
>
> >> The American Way
>
> >> BBSNews 2008-05-01 -- By Naman Crowe. I've sung this song but I'll
sing=
it
> >> again. Let's get real. Let's start looking to the day when we can put
t=
o
> >> rest the tired tradition of opening Congress with the Daily Prayer
and
> >> Pledge of Allegiance, on the grounds that they go counter to our
> >> Constitution which requires a separation of Church and State.
>
> > No it doesn't. =A0The Constitution says nothing about separation of
> > Church and State. =A0I looked; it isn't there. =A0In fact, the
> > Constitution specifically states that "Congress shall make no
> > law . . . prohibiting the free exercise [of religion]." =A0Congress
has
> > no authority to prohibit anyone from engaging in religious exercises,
> > in public, in private, in prison, or even in Congress itself. Free men
> > are entitled to pray as they please--even congressmen.
>
> There have been 50 large court cases on the separation of church and
> state and a legal doctrine developed form these court cases. You should
> also check out the Treaty of Tripoli n 1797:
>
> =A0 Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not,
in
> any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no
> character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of
> Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of
> hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties,
> that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an
> interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.
>
> This treaty was signed by John Adams and unanimously approved by the
> Senate. It provide a clear and compelling written evidence the the
> Founding Fathers perceived the US as a secular state.
And as a secular entity, the United States has no authority to
interfere in the exercise of any religion, at any time, and in any
place. That includes the voluntary expressions of religious ideals
and rite in private assemblies, in public meetings, in schools, or
anywhere--even in Congress itself. The United States government has
no authority, moral or legal, to prohibit prayer anywhere.
The Constitution clearly states that all powers not granted in the
Constitution to the federal government are specifically reserved to
the states or to the people. The Constitution not only does not grant
any powers to the central government to regulate religion, it also
expressly denies any such power. Any action by the federal
authorities, whether executive, legislative, or judicial, to interfere
with the free exercise of religion at any level is unconstitutional.
That's what the First Amendment says.
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