| Historical Context of the First
Amendment The Pilgrims and others fled to the New World to
escape religious persecution from the government of England. England had
a State Church. The church was run by the government and was supported
by taxes. It was against the law to be part of another church or
denomination. Christian pastors and church members were imprisoned for
becoming involved in an illegal church.
Before the Constitution was ratified, most of the Colonies had their
own official churches, and they followed the practices of the British
government - persecuting people who dared to organize or be involved in
an unapproved church.
Therefore, the issue of the day was, Should the Government be in
the Religion Business? And if so, which denomination should become
the "official" church?
The First Amendment addressed this issue. "Congress shall make
no law respecting an establishment of religion . . ." Do you get that?
It's very easy to understand. The Government is not in the business of
creating or running a church. England had "The Church of England,"
complete with Church of England church buildings, Church of England
clergy, etc. The King was the head of the Church of England, ruling over
the Archbishop of Canterbury. The United States was never to have "The
Church of America." The United States Government was not to dictate what
Americans were to believe, where they would go to church, or even if
they would go to church. It's as simple as that.
It went on to say that Congress would make no law ". . . prohibiting
the free exercise thereof (of religion) . . ." If you want to be a
Baptist, Methodist or Catholic, that's up to you. You could even be a
member of the Church of England (as many of our Founding Fathers were).
Or you could even be an atheist. The Constitution gives you the freedom
to choose.
Nowhere does it say - or even imply - that Government can't
acknowledge God. Even many of the irreligious Founding Fathers had a
reverence for God, and they were not ashamed to say it.
Congress shall make no law . . .
Here's something else. The entire First Amendment hinges on these
words: "Congress shall make no law . . ." It cannot make a law to
establish an official church. It cannot make a law to force you
to go to a particular church. It cannot make a law to prohibit
you from choosing your own religion or choosing no religion.
Notice that the First Amendment does not say that our government
cannot acknowledge God. Indeed, God has been acknowledged thousands of
times at all levels of government ever since America was settled. It as
only been in recent times that the Radical Heathen Left has succeeded in
getting large numbers of people to believe the First Amendment prohibits
the Government from acknowledging God.
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