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    The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is also the first section of the Bill of Rights. It reads:
    "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
    The 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as interpreted by the courts, guarantees that:
    • individuals will have freedom of religious expression;
    • the government and its agencies will not recognize one religious faith as more valid than any other faith;
    • the government and its agencies will not promote religion above secularism or vice versa.
    See Court Decisions and Recent U.S. Court Rulings On The Separation Of Church & State, Part 2 at ReligiousTolerance.org


    In 1787, the term "religion" included the various forms of Christianity expressed by the different Christian denominations. The phrase, "no religious test" in 1787 meant there would be "no denominational test," as we would understand it today in 2004; no test as to whether a man was a Presbyterian, Baptist, or Anglican;

    In a Critique of David Barton's "America's Godly Heritage" the author comments on David Barton's taped presentation called America's Godly Heritage. He says:
    " While there can be little doubt that Christian values shaped the thinking of the Founders, it is wrong to jump to the conclusion that the Founders were almost all orthodox evangelicals Christians. Even though many of the Founders applauded religion for its utility- believing religion was good for the country- they also argued vigorously for voluntary religion and complete religious freedom.

    Much has been made of Benjamin Franklin's suggestion that the Convention open its morning sessions with prayer. His motion was turned down, however, and not again taken up."

    Supreme Court Building and the words of America's founders
    There is a message being forwarded around the internet since 2003 which has some misleading information about carvings in and on the Supreme Court Building and founding father quotes.
    See The Supreme Court Building Carvings and Politics (National Capital) at Urban Legends Reference Pages.

    Magazines:
    Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
    World on the Web Christianity Today Magazie

    Books:
    Founding Faith: How Our Founding Fathers Forged a Radical New Approach to Religious Liberty, by Steven Waldman
    Waldman, the founder of beliefnet.com, focuses on the five founding fathers who had the most influence on religion's role in the stateÑFranklin, Jefferson, Washington, Adams and MadisonÑand untangles their complex legacy, and that they had different interpretations of the first amendment.
    See article at beliefnet

    God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It., Jim Wallis
    Is Jesus a Republican or a Democrat?: And 14 Other Polarizing Issues, 1995, Tony Campolo
    Partly Right: Learning from the Critics of Christianity , 1985, Tony Campolo

    See:
    ReligiousTolerance.org: SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE IN THE US Evangelical Christians: Left and Right

    last updated 19 Mar 2003