On Sat, March 24, 2007 4:39 pm, Ralph Shumaker wrote: > Todd Walton wrote: > >> If I were a Founding Father, I'd have added something about separation of Economy and State, to go along with Church and State. I'd have to think about it some more, though. > > > The Founding Fathers said nothing about separation of Church and State *except* to make it clear that the State must stay out of the Church,
It's true that there are no constitutional prohibitions on churches (or labor unions or Boy Scout troops or just about any group) from participating in politics in an organized, legal manner. This is as it should be. However, to understand the intent of the founders on any topic, one needs to read their other writings in which they discuss their goals in drafting the rather spare language of the constitution. Much of this is collected in the Federalist Papers and the less well known Anti-Federalist Papers (the commentary of Franklin and other dissenters). It's interesting reading. Some were devout Christians, many were vague theists, more than a few were athiests, and there was at least one Jew. But all of them deeply distrusted the role of organized religion in government. Why should this surprise us, whatever our personal feelings? Look at their vantage point in history: The English Civil War was fresh in their memory. England's break with Rome was recent history for them and the Inquisition was still active in Italy and Spain. And Maryland, Pennsylvania, much of New England and parts of every state were settled by religious refugees. Everywhere they looked in Europe they saw examples of religiously motivated violence and repression. Why would we be surprised that they didn't want that in their new country. > *not* vis versa (not that this distinction matters to anyone anymore). > A distinction without a difference? Any religious leader, foreign or domestic, has every right to endorse a candidate in a US election. Clever ones like Osama Bin Laden can even endorse the candidate they want to lose, relying on their meddling to throw the election the other way (the October 2004 cave tape was meant to do just that according to the CIA analysis -- and it worked). -- Lan Barnes SCM Analyst Linux Guy Tcl/Tk Enthusiast Biodiesel Brewer -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
