I'm reading some comments in the local newspaper concerning people's notions about church and state. I realized there are way too many people that actually believe the constitution prohibits religion within the government. I decided to look it up once more......

Clause 3: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

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.

The first is from the constitution itself, that really has nothing to do with religion, but stipulates that members of congress take an oath of office to congress to serve the country, and that their religion cannot be a requirement for taking the oath and serving.

The second is from article 1 of the amendments. It simply states that laws passed by congress will so no religious bias.

That's it!! Anything else going around about the "separation" is just somebody's opinion of how the constitution should be interpreted. People always talk about "The separation of Church and State", but it is nothing more than a phrase used by Jefferson to frame HIS opinion. He was an atheist I believe.

Mind you, I'm all about keeping religion out of politics, I'm an atheist after all. But I think people don't go far enough to school themselves on this shit when they spout off about it.