Separation of Church and State please define this for me?

Question

this is what I understand

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_church_and_state

Answer 1

Churches can make profits without paying taxes. That separates them from the State which is the tax collector.  In that respect major corporations are treated like religions.  

Answer 2

There is no such legal thing here in the US... literally, none. The First Amendment tells us the GOVERNMENT shall make no rule of law respecting an establishment of religion, what's more, by law, the government can't tell any institution of religion how to worship, if it can worship, etc... that does NOT equate that the Church has no role in government, it means the government shall not adopt a state religion.

Answer 3

It means basically that the State (the federal government, in the case of the US) will not define an official church in this country.  That means that the citizens and occupants of this country are free to worship as they please.  AND, they are free to not worship if it pleases them, too.  

This principle has been expanded over the years to include the idea that prayer in school should be banned because it puts the school - and therefore the government behind it - in the tacit position of promoting religion, even if no particular denomination is named or identified.

Answer 4

It means anybody can run for Pres. but unless you're some kind of evangelical/fundy; no shot. If by some fluke of the electoral process, a Catholic gets in; no prob, they simply shoot him, his brother, girlfriend, son, the guy who shot him, the guy who shot the guy who shot him, the cop who found him, the Police Chief who decided who shot him. Today in that same city, the biggest mega-church in the country serves 30,000+ members. There are many who see no message here, but instead, an unfortunate series of coincidences.  

Answer 5

the term is , of course, antiquated, but was deemed necessary back when The Church often called the shots and the politicos ( wether an emperor, monarch or govenor ) were essentially puppets of The Church.

These days, the likes of George W. and his fundementalist religious cronies are putting a new spin on such things.

Answer 6

The "wall of separation" referred to limitations on federal power.

In spite of the popularity of this phrase, it is quite likely that the Court's reading of the Danbury letter was incorrect. Although Jefferson penned this phrase, most likely he did not intend "building a wall of separation between church and state" to mean complete independence of religion and government.

First, Jefferson was writing to a Baptist Association who firmly believed in church autonomy. The ideas which lead to this oft-cited phrase came from a sermon given by Baptist Roger Williams, entitled "The Garden in the Wilderness," in which Williams explains that the purpose of civil government is to allow religion to flourish, not to be regulated.

Thus, Jefferson's use of the phrase "a wall of separation" was an idiom with a particular meaning to the Baptists to whom the letter was addressed.

Answer 7

"Separation of Church and State" is a later phrase describing the anti-establishment clause in teh 1st amendment. The simple definition is that congress (and by extension, government) cannot establish an "official" church. Like in England, France, and other countries.

The problem is with practice. While there has been no "official" church, in the history of America there have been some churches that are "more official" and some "less official." The history of the persecution in America of Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses, other minority and new religious movements, non-Christian religions, non-religion, etc. shows that this is imperfectly applied, even by government. Even in Texas. (I mean taking kids away from their parents because of the belief of the parents, not any actions in the specific cases).

The temptation on the government side is support during elections by large denominations. The temptation on the religious side is later to enact laws based on the religious beliefs and not public interest.

Answer 8

Thats when the Church and the State are... well seperate, and that means they can coexists... seperate....but equal!

Answer 9

One of the problems we have to deal with in the U.S.A.

And CD, the catholic church was out of england by that time, and it's just hypocrisy to say one group that engages in bizarre sexual acts is protected and another isn't.  

Answer 10

In the United States, it is based on the first amendment.

"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."

So in the strictest literal definition, Congress cannot found a faith, nor can it outlaw anyone else's.

After that, it become an argument.

Does having a Nativity scene in front of a public library establish religion?

Does canceling a public school's X-mas pageant prohibit some-one's free exercise of religion?

If you became a lawyer you could make a career out these kind of questions.

Answer 11

Basically laws cannot be influence by the Church or religion...you cannot make it illegal to have s*x before marriage, but you can penalize a predator for molesting a child. This mainly the reason why America was founded, to escape persecution of the Catholic Church in England. In this time, the Catholic Church controlled the country and put people to death for breaking the laws of the Bible  etc., but America wanted to avoid this kind of government. When our founding father were writing the Constitution they kept this in mind, and feared giving one entity too much power, resulting in Separation of the States and other systems such as checks and balances.