Separation of Church and State

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that the United States was not founded as a Christian nation and has a very old precedent for maintaining the separation of church and state. The author believes that much of the world's problems today are caused by fundamentalists of many religions attempting to impose their religious viewpoints on others. The paper concludes that it is paramount that the United States shift its viewpoint from the self-righteous and self-serving Christianity of George W. Bush and his former attorney general, John Ashcroft, to a more reasoned and neutral stance, adopting again the attitude of separation of church and state intended by the Founding Fathers.

Table of Contents
Historical Facts
Modern Times
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"What is most impressive about this letter is that, as early as 1801, the Danbury Baptists pointed out that civil government had no right to act except to forestall evil acts between men, a reasonable activity for any government irrespective of the specific religious beliefs of its people. They also were quick to point out that the very first specific issue added to the relatively non-specific Constitution was religion as the first clause of the first amendment. They also pointed out, however, that because this issue was handled as an amendment, and not as one of the 'inalienable rights' claimed in the body of the Constitution itself, it was regarded by them as a privilege."

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