Let a man have what he will, and do what he will, it signifies nothing without charity; which surely implies that charity is the great thing, and that everything which has not charity in some way contained or implied in it is nothing, and that this charity is the life and soul of all religion, without which all things that wear the name of virtues are empty and vain.
Jonathan Edwards

Government and Religion

Government and Religion

From: Glen Stewart
Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2003 09:11:36 -0400

I composed this early today, with the thought that our Federal Government has stepped outside its Constitutional boundaries in matters of religion.

Feel free to redistribute.

  1. The framers of the Constitution had come from a country where their freedom to worship and live their lives in a pleasing way to God was squelched by their governments, including religious officials.
  2. The framers determined that in this new country, the People would be given the inalienable right to religious freedom. Religious freedom is already a basic human right, but the framers determined to protect the people from the Government by restraining the powers of Government in the religious affairs of the people.
  3. To provide this protection, it was determined that federal Government must not interfere in matters of religion – this behavior was written into our Constitution as its First Amendment, stating “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
  4. Essentially, the United States Government lawmaking authority is limited, to not enact any law that promotes or prevents free exercise of religion. Simply stated, WE, THE GOVERNMENT, IN MATTERS OF RELIGION, MUST NOT MAKE RULES.
  5. If the United States Government is found to make rulings in matters of religion, these rulings are in violation of the United States Constitution, and must be removed. The People have the authority to enforce that right.
  6. Federal rulings pertaining to preventing prayer in schools are not lawful. The school systems are an expression of the communities they serve, and must comply with the wishes of those communities (The People). Only those People may determine whether prayer should be organized by school faculty, but faculty compliance is optional – US Government cannot make religion a matter of policy or law, nor force it upon the unwilling.
  7. Rulings pertaining to placement or removal of religious artifacts within Federal Government facilities are not lawful. The US Government is not allowed to interfere in the religious expressions of The People.
  8. Members of US Government are also The People. As such, Government is restrained by Constitutional Law, from imposing law or policy on any Government member in matters of religious expression. The people elect the Government, and the religious behaviors of Government members may be desired by The People. No Law or Policy may be made for or against religious behavior of a US Government member.
  9. Federal Government may not use matters of religion as a deciding factor in assembling itself. Any Government member who publically questions whether a potential member will be capable of performing his/her duties in the light of their religious views IS IN VIOLATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW. The Government is formed by The People. If religion is within The People, it will be within the Government, freely expressed there, though not as policy or law.
  10. The presence of religious phraseology in expressions used in memorandums, money, public edifices, speech, or the like, are at the whim of The People. Yet, US Government may not make Law nor Policy as to their use. The Government may not rule to expunge religious expression, placed within itself by The People, from itself.

Glen Stewart