Both parties have some blame
I would like to respond to a recent letter mentioning “Separation between Church and State.” To understand the intent of Thomas Jefferson’s statement, we need to go back a ways in history.
In England in 1607, King James I was the head of the government and the head of the Church of England. Anyone not belonging to the Church of England was guilty of treason and imprisoned. The Protestant Christian group called the Separatist (later Pilgrims) disagreed with the religious teachings and fled England in search of religious freedom. They eventually reached America in 1620.
In 1788, the U.S. Constitution is ratified. The First Amendment reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …”
In other words, no government sanctioned religion and no government interference with religious expression is allowed. The First Amendment was created by our Founding Fathers to prevent the same government control and oppression by the Church of England.
In Connecticut in 1801, The Danbury Baptist Association sent a letter to President Thomas Jefferson, expressing concern over the lack in their state constitution of explicit protection of religious liberty, and against a government establishment of religion. In Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 response he used the phrase, “A wall of separation between church and state” to reassure the Danbury Baptist that the First Amendment prohibited the government from trying to control religious expression.
In Washington in 1803, President Thomas Jefferson faithfully attended a Protestant church that met inside the U.S. House of Representatives. Today, this activity would be considered a violation of the First Amendment. Clearly keeping religion out of the government was not the Founding Fathers intent. Otherwise, President Jefferson willfully violated his own interpretation of “Separation between church and state.”
From 1947 to now, our Supreme Court and lower court rulings have taken Thomas Jefferson’s statement, “A wall of separation between church and state,” out of context, changing the original meaning to prohibit religious activities in the public square.
Were all the Founding Father’s Christians? I can’t say for sure. But I do know there are records of Jefferson, Madison and Franklin praying and reading the Holy Bible in their political and public meetings. Is America a Christian nation? According to a 2012 Gallup poll, 77 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christian. If that bothers you, rest assured, in a 2015 CNN Report, Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion due to surpass Christianity.
Contrary to hardliners, no political party has all the answers. And no single party is to blame for all our problems. We need to remember we’re Americans first. Our elected officials are obligated to come to the table and find common ground. Enough time has been wasted on resistance, infighting and finger pointing from both sides. It is time to roll of our sleeves and get our nations work done.
Carrie Moore
Kailua-Kona