2. Submitted to states for approval
on Friday, September 25, 1789
Adopted on Thursday, December
15, 1791
States that “congress shall make
no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise
thereof”
3. It originally applied to the
federal government only.
The phrases “separation of church
and state” and “religious liberty”
do not appear in the Constitution.
In 1947, it was applied to states in
Everson v. Board of
Education, which introduced the
Establishment Clause.
4. Since its ratification, the First
Amendment has been the source of
much controversy.
Recent controversies include
Stewart v. Johnson
County, florida’s amendment 8, and
2012 GOP candidates.
5. Ralph Stewart was denied the request to
display his posters about the separation
of church and state.
However, the commissioners approved a
Ten Commandments display.
A lawsuit was filed by Americans United
against Johnson County, and a favorable
settlement was reached.
But the courthouse still displays
religiously affiliated posters. Do you
think this leads to injustice?
6. In the 2012 presidential
election, voters in Florida will vote
on a new initiative called Amendment
8.
Amendment 8 states: “neither the
government nor any agent of the
government may deny to any other
individual... The benefits of any
program, funding, or other support
on the basis of religious identity or
belief.”
7. Amendment 8 would require
taxpayers’ money to go to the
funding of private religious
schools.
This will lead to social injustice
because taxpayers will be forced
to pay for the funding of a religion
that they may not believe in.
8. Many GOP candidates try to breach
the wall of the separation of
church and state.
Rick Santorum stated that
colleges were no longer an open
community for people of faith.
he declares that “i don’t believe in
an America where the separation
of church and state is absolute”.
9. Rick Santorum recently suspended
his campaign for presidency.
Nonetheless, his fundamentalist
beliefs pose a risk to America as a
whole.
If he were to be elected and
destroy the separation of church
and state, what would this mean to
millions of Americans?
10. America was founded on the basis
for freedom, as seen in the Bill of
Rights.
Nonetheless, the debate over
religion still continues.
i’m cautiously confident that the
separation of church and state
will still prevail.
11. Thus says John Fitzgerald Kennedy:
“whatever one's religion in his
private life may be, for the
officeholder, nothing takes
precedence over his oath to uphold
the Constitution and all its parts -
- including the First Amendment and
the strict separation of church
and state.”
