By Ron Corson
Adventist Today has gone to a new low. It presents an anonymous article called:
Playing Hopscotch with Our Liberties by Sarah Kay Jones | 29 July 2022 |
Here is an example of
this so thoughtful piece of exposition:
The establishment clause of the First Amendment prevents the federal government from establishing a state religion. I’ve already heard that the separation of church and state is not written in the Constitution, so it’s not legitimate. Included in the new civics training for Florida public school teachers is the statement that it is a “misconception” that “the Founders desired strict separation of church and state.”
That’s the same argument given over the 2022 abortion ruling, which means that under the current Supremes majority, the establishment of religion is also at risk. That isn’t, however, what the founders of the nation taught, according to Middle Tennessee State University’s Free Speech Center:
The unknown and unintelligent author thinks that the Dobbs decision was the same argument as
the rapid teachers training courses in Florida, that the wall of separation
between church and state is not in the Constitution. Which of course it is not.
At best it is a reference to Jefferson’s Letter: “ The letter contains the
phrase "wall of separation between church and state," which led to
the short-hand for the Establishment Clause that we use today:
"Separation of church and state."
The separation of church and state suddenly became the argument in
the 2022 abortion ruling that found the court had erred in the Roe and Casey
decisions. Thus finding no Constitutional authority for the so-called right to
an abortion, that right suddenly
appearing a 170 years after the Constitution was ratified and a good while
after the 14th amendment and its mention of liberty and subsequent claim
to the right to privacy. The
syllabus for the decision shows there was no establishment of Religion
application at all in the decision.
Naturally, the comments on the Facebook page praised the article. Just
another example of the complete lack of understanding by the Political Progressives.
Their reasoning is flawed but always fearful.
Just for clarity, the founders desired strict avoidance of Federal involvement in religion, establishing or the exercise of that religion. What the progressives mean by "strict separation of church and state” Is always the problem and why they like the term rather than using the Establishment clause as the Constitution does.
