Our First Amendment Rights

The first ten amendments to The United State's Constitution are known as "The Bill of Rights". The First Amendment gives all Americans five rights. I want to discuss the first clause of our first amendment and to more sharply bring into focus what it says:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;. . . (the first of our five "rights" in the first amendment).

How do you interpret those words? ( ...and more importantly, the 2nd phrase of the 1st clause.)

 Literally, it means that our government will make no rule regarding any religion in our country. Do the words "prayer", "crèche", "cross" come to mind? They should, because the second phrase of this first clause of our first amendment specifically says "or prohibiting the free expression thereof". Everyone seems not to have remembered this part of the first amendment.

So, where do you see "separation of church and state" in that clause? And do you know that the only other place where the word "religion" appears in our Constitution is in Article 6 where it states "...no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States". No where else in the entire document is the issue of religion mentioned.  How has this 'politically correct' forbidding one to freely express his/her religious beliefs come about? Why has this practice become "offensive" to folks?

Certainly, the public prayers of the followers of Islam are not being questioned or causing concern, so why is prayer in school a concern. Are prayers in the Senate and House sessions forbidden? Not so... Is a cross erected in the desert or mountain top (or even printed on a school child's paper!) not permitted by the first amendment? Is a display of the ten commandments an affront? Apparently so, but to whom?  I don't think it is!!  

Christianity is under attack by a small but determined anti-Christian force that is relentlessly pursuing its goal to remove God from our lives. The slow eradication – even prohibition – of any expression of religion from our daily lives began in our schools in the 60's and has now become so entrenched in our society that the public obediently spouts the dogma that our constitution requires "separation of church and state". Sadly, our courts now rule with this same interpretation, blind to that second phrase of the first clause of the First Amendment.

Our constitution is a simple document, written in clear and easily understood prose, 17 pages in length. Read it and draw your own conclusions. Our Bill of Rights is being attacked today as never before for being "outdated". The Constitution is the rock upon which our American culture rests. Don't let it be subject to 'revision'. 

America is a Christian nation...  it was founded as such.  95% or more of our citizens profess the Judeo-Christian concepts as the basis of their religion. God is alive and well. Our courts cannot change that one whit.

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible" ...Geo. Washington, President
"But for the Bible, we could not know right from wrong" ...A. Lincoln, President

What do you think?

Stay well, stay alert... and involved.  Arcinius                                                                                                                                                     

(By the way, the fourth and fifth clauses of our First Amendment are being attacked by our present federal administration and congressional bodies: the right of the people peaceably to assemble; and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.) Lately we, the unwashed masses, are being called 'un-American' by our elected (and non-elected) federal officials.