George W. Bush's Faith Based Initiative and the Separation of Church and State Clause

The Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013 (H.R. 592), is a bill that would correct this and allow relief funding to go these organizations. So far the bill has passed the House by a large margin. The bill is also being criticized by it’s opponents for it’s use of taxpayer money to help tax-exempt organizations as well as violating the principle of separation of church and state.

The central idea is that church and state should not be considered mutual. In the article, “Letter to Danbury Baptist,” Thomas Jefferson respectfully rejects the Danbury Baptist pursue to making their religion the only religion known to state. He also explains that the separation of church and state is a part of the first amendment and it is one that we are going to keep and adhere to. Another article, “First Amendment to the US Constitution” it states the first amendment and all the freedom we have as Americans. An image, “No Union Upon Any Terms” shows how religion is not part of state. Therefore, church and state should be separate.

Some Religious activists try to extricate the concept of separation between church and State by claiming that those words do not occur in the Constitution. Indeed they do not, but neither does it exactly say "freedom of religion," yet the First Amendment implies both.

Modeled after James Madison’s Virginia Plan, the Constitution was written in 1787 by the delegates (or “framers”) of the Constitutional Convention. This document established the entire foundation of government for the United States after the failure of the Articles of Confederation. The document first granted all legislative powers to Congress, which was to consist of a Senate and a House of Representatives. It also outlined the way in which the houses were to be structured as well outlined the rights of Congress. Then, it outlined the rights of states under this new model of government. Next, it established that executive powers be “vested in a President”, as well as stated the requirements, guidelines and restrictions of said president. Next, the judicial power was given to one Supreme Court, with the authority to makes lower courts, as well as guidelines as to how to carry out actions within the court system. All in all, the Constitution laid out every aspect of the American government and has remained the foundation to the day. The aspect of religion as a whole was not directly discussed due to its’ highly controversial nature, however the first amendment clearly gives the people the right to worship whatever religion they so choose. Tolerance is how religion is brought about in the Constitution. This leads me to believe that the framers of the Constitution strongly believed in the separation

While writing the constitution the founding fathers said “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” When they said this they

Many people believe this phrase, “separation of church and state”, can be found in the United States Constitution; however, this phrase originated in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson. While some people believe this was a secular phrase, other people believe it has more of a religious viewpoint. There are controversial issues that violate this phrase, which includes the presidents using a Bible and saying the phrase “so help me God” during their inauguration ceremony. Another time which violates the phrase “separation of church and state” is during court when someone has to be sworn in to the stand by placing their hand on the Bible. While church and state is best kept separate, one might ask themselves, why Thomas Jefferson, the man who created this controversial phrase, might still show countless religious efforts during his presidency that would violate his own phrase, if he intentionally meant it to be a complete “wall” between the

Thomas Jefferson fought for separation of church and state, in Virginia. Jefferson fought so strongly for this because under British anarchy, they were persecuted for their religion. This document brought conflict with Jefferson and the Anglican Church, as the Anglican Church believed that Church and State should be one. The idea of Freedom of Religion carries into our government. President’s can swear in with a Bible during oath, though the book may differ on religion. The separation between church and state was one of the most important policies in the United States Constitution and was inputted in the first amendment. In the 1st Aamendment it states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. The Virginia Statute For Religious Freedom has ensured Americans’ freedom to express whichever religion they choose, and it is a main part of why The United States of America is so

Constitution were in favor of the separation of church and state. The founding fathers felt that a man's religion and faith are personal matters and the government had no right be involved in them. Therefore, I believe they wanted all religions to be protected whether Christian or non-Christian. In Thomas Jefferson’s letter, he states, "I contemplate with sovereign reverence that acts 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." (How to cite in text) This expression has become well known because it is said to explain the "religion clause" of the First Amendment to the Constitution which 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" (U.S. const. amend. I).

The 1st Amendment of the constitution was implemented for one simple reason: to guarantee the basic human rights of the American citizens. The American citizens wanted to be assured of their basic and personal freedoms, so the founding fathers gave them that when they created the 1st Amendment. One of the specific things this Amendment guarantees for its citizens, is the right to exercise their religious freedom. Before the revolutionary war, there wasn’t much separation between church and state. They were under a British government, forcing them to follow the ways of the Anglican church. Citizens were required to attend church once a month in order to receive government news and if citizens were not apart of the church, they still had to pay taxes to fund it.

Without your support of Catholic Charities, these individuals and families could face hunger, loss of utilities, or homelessness within weeks. You can directly impact families in County who are unable to afford basic necessities in their greatest time of need. Through your support of Catholic Charities, you will help provide emergency financial assistance

Both the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights have similar stances on the separation of church and state. The Bill of Rights guarantees that the government are prohibited from taking away fundamental rights such as the freedom of religion, in the third article. It also states that every U.S. citizen has the right to practice their own religion or no religion at all, without needing the permission of Congress. In Article Six of the Constitution, there is one particular statement that affects every office in the nation, both federal and state. It means no public position requires any kind of religious belief to be in one, as there should be no preferences given to religion. The two national documents allow everyone to exercise their natural

The article provided was definitely an eye opener for me, FBOs seem to be an intricate part of our social welfare policy and programs. However just like this information is a surprise to me I believe the lack of awareness on many communities on how much FBOs can access funds through the government is the problem. Furthermore, as our book indicated most of the funding directed to FBOs are given to established organization like Catholic Charities (Karger & Stoesz, 2014). Additionally, If people were more aware how much FBOs provided for our communities and that without some of these programs they provide, we would be in more trouble therefore making this argument about church and state mute. Programs like hospice care, day care services,

"Politics makes strange bedfellows",1 Never have there been two more inappropriate, yet understandable bedfellows than religion and politics. Both of these great forces in our lives, at least on the surface, claim to be about us or for us, and certainly necessary for a better life for all.  Genuinely though, both of these institutions have become to be about power and control: for these reasons alone they try and lie together, but for these same reasons as well as for our true betterment the American populace is far better off when they are separated. The wise men who laid the foundation of this nation, knew this; they knew the individual freedoms they sought for

The above quote is the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States. In no part does our constitution mention a “separation of church and state.” What it does mention is that Congress is forbidden to tamper with the religious beliefs and practices of its people.

The phrase, “separation of church and state” is not found in the U.S. Constitution. On January 1, 1802, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter titled “Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists.” This letter was written in response to a letter sent by the Danbury Baptists nearly three months before. The Danbury Baptist expressed their sentiments at Jefferson’s election and their concerns about the relationship between religion and the state. In the correspondence, Jefferson discussed the importance of the state being unable to control the religion of the people: “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 & State” (Jefferson). “A wall of separation between Church and State” led to the now widely used phrase, “separation of church and state.”