Quote:
Originally Posted by Southern Man
1. Evidently not: see item 2 above.
2. “Intent” is up to interpretation. “Separation” is an easy enough word, why would they not use it? Is it in The Federalist? Oops- no.
3. Again, this explains a lot.
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"The number,the industry, and the morality of the Priesthood, & the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased by
the total separation of the Church from the State." - James Madison (Father of the Constitution)
"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man & his god, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building
a wall of separation between church and state." - Thomas Jefferson (author of the Declaration of Independence)
"In a free government the security for civil rights must be the same as that for religious rights. It consists in the one case in the multiplicity of interests, and in the other in the multiplicity of sects. The degree of security in both cases will depend on the number of interests and sects; and this may be presumed to depend on the extent of country and number of people comprehended under the same government. This view of the subject must particularly recommend a proper federal system to all the sincere and considerate friends of republican government, since it shows that in exact proportion as the territory of the Union may be formed into more circumscribed Confederacies, or States, oppressive combinations of a majority will be facilitated; the best security, under the republican forms, for the rights of every class of citizen, will be diminished; and consequently the stability and independence of some member of the government, the only other security, must be proportionally increased." - Federalist #51 (usually attributed to James Madison)
"No qualification of wealth, of birth, or religious faith, or of civil profession is permitted to fetter the judgement or disappoint the inclination of the people." - Federalist #57 (usually attributed to Madison, but I've also seen Hamilton given credit)