Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainHaplo
@ Sailor Steve - I didn't forget about the "Seperation of Church and State" - in fact I answered your challenge in Post #42....
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You're right, I missed that somehow. On the other hand, I find the signing reference to be a bit silly. Yes, they used the term. Did they have any other choice? As you said, it was the language of the day. And the journals kept at the time show that Benjamin Franklin tried to have each day's session open with a prayer, and that the motion was roundly voted down. They went out of their way to keep the document secular, and as I've already pointed out one of the main proponents of the 'Separation' phrase was James Madison himself. In fact Madison strenuously opposed the use of public money to hire chaplains for both Congress and the military. I can't argue that he was likely wrong on the military front, but his idea for Congress was that if they wanted to pray they should pay the chaplains out of their own pockets.
As for your statement of what you want, do you really believe people are asked to check their morals at the door? What of any of the other desires you mention are different than anything anyone else has claimed for the first amendment. In spite of the 'No religious test' clause, try running for president while denying a belief in God and see how far you get.