The First Amendment to the United States Bill of Rights establishes freedom of religion and is referred to as establishing the separation of church and state, definitively stating the religion and government should not be mixed. This amendment was ratified in 1791 when the United States was establishing the basic laws of the new country. It forbade the U.S. Congress from making any law “respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” (U.S. Constitution, Amendment 1). The amendment separates government and religion. It states government shall not influence religion and religion shall play not part in political institutions and state matters. The founders of the United States intended to separate the influence of religion from
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“We the people…” is stating the power formation is from the people not a doctrine of God. The Declaration was not to set up a new government with religion as the main thought. The United State Constitution only mentions organized religion a couple of times. The First Amendment, Article VI, third paragraph regarding not having a religious test as a condition for holding government office. Other than “the year of our Lord” as a date the mention or implication of religion or any deity is minimal in all laws establishing the national originally. Thomas Jefferson in a Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association called for the separation between church and state to be “a wall” (Neem, 139). The 1797 Treaty of Tripoli, ratified by the Senate and signed by John Adams, "the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."(Meacham) In fact, the founding fathers were very careful not to use God as a political wedge issue or a cause of civic disputes
“We the people…” is stating the power formation is from the people not a doctrine of God. The Declaration was not to set up a new government with religion as the main thought. The United State Constitution only mentions organized religion a couple of times. The First Amendment, Article VI, third paragraph regarding not having a religious test as a condition for holding government office. Other than “the year of our Lord” as a date the mention or implication of religion or any deity is minimal in all laws establishing the national originally. Thomas Jefferson in a Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association called for the separation between church and state to be “a wall” (Neem, 139). The 1797 Treaty of Tripoli, ratified by the Senate and signed by John Adams, "the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."(Meacham) In fact, the founding fathers were very careful not to use God as a political wedge issue or a cause of civic disputes