[ElephantInTheRoom]

It is true Jefferson was in France (no doubt with Sally), if you did your research you already know he "phoned it in.

Not exactly. The quote "Separation of Church and State" from Jefferson came from a letter he wrote to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut in 1802. Here is the excerpt from the letter:

"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."

What I found especially interesting was the last paragraph Jefferson wrote in this same letter:

"I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem."

FYI. Church services were once held in the Capital building at the time of Jefferson. The same church services that Jefferson himself attended. Is the Capital building not government property? Here is someone else who disagrees with you:

"The metaphor of a wall of separation is bad history and worse law. It has made a positive chaos out of court rulings. It should be explicitly abandoned."Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, William Rehnquist

[norton]

It is true Jefferson was in France (no doubt with Sally), if you did your research you already know he "phoned it in.

Not exactly. The quote "Separation of Church and State" from Jefferson came from a letter he wrote to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut in 1802. Here is the excerpt from the letter:

"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."

What I found especially interesting was the last paragraph Jefferson wrote in this same letter:

"I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem."

FYI. Church services were once held in the Capital building at the time of Jefferson. The same church services that Jefferson himself attended. Is the Capital building not government property? Here is someone else who disagrees with you:

"The metaphor of a wall of separation is bad history and worse law. It has made a positive chaos out of court rulings. It should be explicitly abandoned."Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, William Rehnquist

-----------

Well said EIR- The term was assurance to Christians of the Constitution's protection FROM Government intrusion not the way that the Leftist would have one believe.

[JuneCarter]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/05 ... e-beliefs5

"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear."
-- Thomas Jefferson

[Stinky Pete]

Well said EIR- The term was assurance to Christians of the Constitution's protection FROM Government intrusion not the way that the Leftist would have one believe.

You're close. Substitute "all religions" for "Christians", and where we are now makes perfect sense.

[Boro Friend]

The phrase ''separation of Church and State ''originated from a 'letter ' to the Baptist Association of Danbury from Thomas Jefferson. He was writing them in response to their complaint that a state of Connect law was oppressive to their religion. The'' separation of church and state ''doesn't belong in the constitution except that some judge told us it was.

[ElephantInTheRoom]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Bible

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/05 ... e-beliefs5

"Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear."
-- Thomas Jefferson

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."
Patrick Henry (Ratifier of the US Constitution)

"I have carefully examined the evidences of the Christian religion, and if I was sitting as a juror upon its authenticity I would unhesitatingly give my verdict in its favor. I can prove its truth as clearly as any proposition ever submitted to the mind of man."
Alexander Hamilton (signer of the Declaration of Independence and ratifier of the US Constitution)

"Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ."
James Madison

"While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian."
George Washington

"Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual. ... Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us"
John Hancock (First signer of the Declaration of Independence)

I guess June is trying to say that because Jefferson did a copy and paste job on the Bible; the framers wanted "Separation of Church and State" in the US Constitution? And we already established Jefferson was not a framer of the US Constitution.

[Stinky Pete]

". . . Some books against Deism fell into my hands. . . It happened that they wrought an effect on my quite contrary to what was intended by them; for the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist." Ben Franklin (ouch!)

"The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason."
-in Poor Richard's Almanac

"What is it the New Testament teaches us? To believe that the Almighty committed debauchery with a woman engaged to be married; and the belief of this debauchery is called faith." Thomas Paine (that's just nasty)

"It may not be easy, in every possible case, to trace the line of separation between the rights of religion and the Civil authority with such distinctness as to avoid collisions and doubts on unessential points. The tendency to unsurpastion on one side or the other, or to a corrupting coalition or alliance between them, will be best guarded agst. by an entire abstinence of the Gov't from interfence in any way whatsoever, beyond the necessity of preserving public order, and protecting each sect agst. trespasses on its legal rights by others."
James Madison, "James Madison on Religious Liberty",

As I understand the Christian religion, it was, and is, a revelation. But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed?"
-John Adams in a letter to F.A. Van der Kamp, Dec. 27, 1816

"God is an essence that we know nothing of. Until this awful blasphemy is got rid of, there will never be any liberal science in the world." John Adams

"Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced an inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth."
- Thomas Jefferson "Notes on Virginia"

Gouverneur Morris had often told me that General Washington believed no more of that system (Christianity) than did he himself." Thomas Jefferson

Historian Barry Schwartz writes: "George Washington's practice of Christianity was limited and superficial because he was not himself a Christian... He repeatedly declined the church's sacraments. Never did he take communion, and when his wife, Martha, did, he waited for her outside the sanctuary... Even on his deathbed, Washington asked for no ritual, uttered no prayer to Christ, and expressed no wish to be attended by His representative." [New York Press, 1987, pp. 174-175]

[Stinky Pete]

Thomas Jefferson In Notes on the State of Virginia said of this religion, "There is not one redeeming feature in our superstition of Christianity. It has made one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites" (quoted by newspaper columnist William Edelen, "Politics and Religious Illiteracy" ).

[ElephantInTheRoom]

The'' separation of church and state ''doesn't belong in the constitution except that some judge told us it was.

This is true, and the name of this Judge was Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black. He was a Democrat nominated by FDR. He was also a Klansman.