Separation Between Church And State

As many know, the first amendment in the constitution states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (Art. I, Amend. I) But what exactly does that mean? The constitution does not directly call for a separation of church and state, Thomas Jefferson originally coined the phrase when he called for a “wall of separation between the church and the state,” in a letter written to a group of baptists from Danbury, Connecticut. So how does the past use of religion in our country effect our current school and political systems, and what are we doing to ensure everyone’s rights? The only way to do that is to have a complete separation between church and state. Separation is defined in the dictionary as the division of something into constituent or distinct …show more content…
Therefore, the term separation of church and state means that the two should be recognizably different and apart from each other. When they are blended together it confuses the rules of the constitution by favoring one religion over the other. In the past, religion played a large part of founding our country, but that was when Christianity was the only major religion being practiced. In modern day America, there are hundreds of religions other than Christianity being observed, and over twenty percent of the population have no religious affiliation at all (Wormald.) By separating them, it keeps the country open and allows everyone to have their own beliefs without fear of suppression. The United States school system is a great example of how separating church and state proves beneficial for students, teachers, and administration. Public schools have numerous rules put in place to ensure everyone