Comment

Tuesday Night Jam: The Oh Hellos, NPR Tiny Desk Concert

57
goddamnedfrank12/08/2015 10:03:07 pm PST

re: #45 Dark_Falcon

How so? Excluding one religion does not in-and-of-itself establish another.

You’re reading the term establishment as if it’s only a verb. It’s also a noun. It doesn’t simply keep the government from establishing a religion, it keeps it from discriminating in any way between religions.

The “establishment of religion” clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither a state nor the federal government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion. No person can be punished for entertaining or professing religious beliefs or disbeliefs, for church attendance or non-attendance. No tax in any amount, large or small, can be levied to support any religious activities or institutions, whatever they may be called, or whatever form they may adopt to teach or practice religion. Neither a state nor the Federal Government can, openly or secretly, participate in the affairs of any religious organizations or groups and vice versa. In the words of Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect “a wall of separation between church and State.”

-Everson v Board of Education, 1947

It is frankly shocking that you don’t know this.