Myth:
The phrase "separation of church and state" does not appear in the
Constitution.
Response:
That is true, the phrase "separation of church and state" does not actually
appear anywhere in the Constitution. There is a problem, however, in that
some people draw incorrect conclusions from this fact. The absence of this
phrase does not mean that it is an invalid concept or that it cannot be used
as a legal or judicial principle.
There are any number of important legal concepts which do not appear in the
Constitution with the exact phrasing people tend to use. For example,
nowhere in the Constitution will you find words like "right to privacy" or
even "right to a fair trial." Does this mean that no American citizen has a
right to privacy or a fair trial? Does this mean that no judge should ever
invoke these rights when reaching a decision?
The rest is at :
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/cs/blcsm_con_phrase.htm
Consider the source though
-----Original Message-----
From: Monique Boea [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Friday, July 02, 2004 1:28 PM
To: CF-Community
Subject: Speaking of church and state
I have not had the time to research this (on my to-do list, so don't jump
down my throat if it is not true :-)) but I heard a report once that said,
the constitution says nothing about church and state being separate instead
it says that the government cannot interfere in the creation of a religion.
EX; If I wanted to worship cats, the govnt. can't tell me I can't.
Does anyone know if there is any truth to this?
_____
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