textfiles-politics/politicalTextFiles/church.txt

                               CHURCH AND STATE

               The school all recited in unison ". . .that one Nation,
          indivisible, under God, shall not perish from this Earth."
               "Now, let's give  thanks  to  the  Father  for  all the
          blessings we  have received  in the  pursuit of our studies.
          Mr. Jones, will you lead us in the prayer?"
               Mr. Jack Jones, the  minister  of  our  local Methodist
          Church gives a short but inspiring prayer.  The entire class
          of students respond with a sincere 'Amen'.
               They hold the opening  ceremony each  day in  the audi-
          torium.    Following  the  prayer, the entire school sings a
          song from the hymnal.   They  are accompanied  by the church
          organist.   No student  has ever complained that they didn't
          enjoy these morning sessions.  Students  are excused  and go
          to their respective classrooms.
               The school,  sponsored by our church, gains its support
          from members of the church who  have children  attending the
          school.   Parents became disenchanted with our public school
          system.  They  finally  agreed  they  should  have  input in
          determining the teaching of their children. 
               In the lower grade public schools, rowdiness had become
          an accepted fact of  school life.   The  teachers had simply
          lost control  over the students.  It had become obvious that
          teaching was to accommodate slower students.  Other students
          with  more  and  faster  learning  abilities were held back.
          They were becoming bored and restive.
               In junior  and senior  high schools,  the same problems
          existed and drug use is becoming evident.  Physical violence
          is becoming an everyday occurrence.  These problems were all
          on the  minds of  parents when they decided to form a school
          under the sponsorship of the church.  Throughout the history
          of this  country, churches  were in  the forefront of educa-
          tion.  Some of the oldest colleges in the east  were started
          in the same manner.
               In  his  study  and  interpretation  of  the history of
          education in  the United  States, Elwood  P. Cubberly (1868-
          1941)  demonstrated  that  in  the  United States the school
          arose everywhere  as  a  child  of  the  church.    James F.
          Messenger  (b.  1872),  in  his  study  of  the  history  of
          education,  points  out  at  time  of  the  framing  of  the
          Constitution of  the United  States, in  1787, education was
          regarded as  a  matter  of  church  control.   (Encyclopedia
          Americana)
               Back to  our school.  Several parents had been teachers
          in the past and they were hired for the new school.  The man
          hired as principal also coordinated the lesson plans for all
          the classes.  The student body had grown  to 45  in the past
          year alone.   
               Scholastically, our  students scored appreciably higher
          than students of the  same grades  in public  schools of our
          city.   The students  were proud of their achievements.  The
          teachers were proud of their students  as were  the parents.
          
          Our school  was gaining  a reputation for good, solid educa-
          tion.  No frills, no pampering, no nonsense.
               That our students scored  much higher  than students in
          the public  system obviously upset local and state education
          authorities.  Efforts  were  started  to  close  the school.
          First attack  was on  the teachers . . . they were not state
          accredited.
               The school answered that this was a private  school and
          of no  concern to educational authorities.  Nevertheless, it
          was  apparent  these  people  had  become  concerned.    Our
          students  were  learning  to become God-fearing, questioning
          and upright citizens.   They were  not robots  as were being
          churned out in the state run system. 
               State  authorities  were  not  so  easily dissuaded and
          filed suit in a local court to have the school  closed.  Our
          minister  and  principal  ignored  the  court  order and the
          school continued.   For  a short  while, anyway.   The local
          sheriff came  by the church and school with an order for the
          school to close down.  However, the minister  had received a
          call  from  friends  and  the doors are locked barring their
          entry.
               Finally, in a show of police  power, they  forced their
          way into the buildings.  They actually arrested the minister
          and principal for contempt of court.
               What was that?  They forced  their way  into the church
          and school  to arrest  the minister  and the  principal?  Is
          this still America?  Just where do these  knotheads find the
          authority to pull such a stunt?
               Separation  of  church  and  state,  is their argument.
          Where do they  find  such  a  statement?    They  insist our
          Constitution  guarantees  separation  of  church  and state.
          Religion belongs to the  church  and  education  is  a state
          function. 
               Cow  paddies!    Our  Constitution  says NO such thing.
          These are  words  of  demented  idiots.    These  people are
          parroting  words  which  were  taken completely out of their
          context.  This statement  is attributed  to Thomas Jefferson
          and used  by bleeding  hearts out of it's intent and meaning
          for many years.
               Let's take a look at what  our Constitution  has to say
          about church and state.
               The  First  Amendment  is  part  of our Bill of Rights.
          This specifically prohibits the  government from interfering
          in special  areas such as religion, press, free speech, etc.

               The introductory statement or  preamble to  the Bill of
          Rights makes the intent crystal clear . . .

               "THE Convention  of a number of the States, having
               at the time of  their  adopting  the Constitution,
               expressed  a  desire,  in  order  to  prevent mis-
               construction or abuse of its powers,  that further
               declaratory  and  restrictive  clauses  should  be
               added:  And  as  extending  the  ground  of public
               
               confidence in the Government, will best ensure the
               beneficent ends of its  institution:"   (Also from
               Documents  Illustrative  of  the  Formation of the
               Union)

               Not any question about the intent of the First Congress
          when it  submitted the first twelve amendments to the states
          for their  approval,  is  there?    Further  restraining and
          confining clauses  to prevent  the misunderstanding or abuse
          of its powers.  This was the high  fence around  the powers.
          They also confined the misuse of those powers by the federal
          government.
               Back to the First Amendment . . .  separation of church
          and state?   Not a chance.  Here is what it has to say about
          our  RIGHT  to  religious  freedom,  opening  and  operating
          schools, etc:

               "Congress  shall  make  no  law  respecting an es-
               tablishment 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."

               Can you read anything in  there  which  allows  them to
          close a school or arrest a minister or principal?  Of course
          not.  They would prefer you didn't know what our  rights are
          so  they  say  we  are  guaranteed "separation of church and
          state."
               We are GUARANTEED the  right to  establish any religion
          and  to  practice  it  freely  as our hearts and consciences
          dictate.  Our Founding Fathers were  religious and Christian
          and  believed  religion  was something between an individual
          and his Maker. 
               In 1789, Congress passed  an  ordinance  which declared
          that:  Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to
          good government  and the  happiness of  mankind, schools and
          the means of education should ever be encouraged.  (Encyclo-
          pedia Americana)  Religion  most certainly  not an  issue in
          which the  government could  stick its nose.  This is one of
          those restrictive clauses to prevent an abuse of power!
               Is it possible that those who work for government don't
          know  what  our  Constitution  says  either?  It is not only
          possible but very definitely true.  This even though we have
          ordered ALL persons who work for a government entity, at any
          level, to take an oath to support the document. 
               Being men of  wisdom,  the  Founding  Fathers specified
          that no  religious test  be a  qualification to office. (Art
          VI, Sec 3)  They were firm believers in religious freedom.
               For the sake of  illustration, let's  say that  you and
          three  or  four  friends  get  together.   You all decide to
          worship Isis or a stone or  a jaguar,  . .  . .  the idol is
          unimportant.    The  fact  remains our Constitution says you
          have that RIGHT!  And further you have the right to exercise
          
          your religious belief freely.
               Your friends  may not agree with you or your belief and
          I may not agree with you.  Even government may also disagree
          with  that  belief.    Yet  they  cannot interfere with your
          doctrine or the  free  exercise  thereof.    First Amendment
          guarantees that.   There  are no  changes further  on in our
          Constitution to say they can obstruct your belief.   This is
          why  they  want  you  to  believe  there  is  a guarantee of
          separation of church and state.
               Going back  to our  opening illustration,  the right to
          establish  and  practice  a  religious  belief was violated.
          Also the right to  freedom of  speech and  of the  people to
          peacefully assemble.  All First Amendment guarantees.
               How do  they get away with it?  Because they feel power
          and might makes right!  And we are  fast becoming illiterate
          and ignorant  concerning our Constitution.  At the same time
          we are becoming a nation of  wimps.   It's becoming apparent
          as we look around there are no real men anymore.  No one has
          enough starch in their backbones to tell these people enough
          is enough.   What  has happened to the "land of the free and
          the home of the brave?" 
               These people are seizing  and assuming  powers which we
          did not  grant to  government at any level.  Can you imagine
          this happening  in this  country let's  say 200  or even 100
          years ago?   People would have been up in arms.  And rightly
          so.
               A quote from an encyclopedia might  shed some  light on
          what our government has in mind for the United States  . . .
               "In  Russia,  education  is  a  state   monopoly.    No
          religious  schools  (apart  from  a  few  seminaries for the
          special purpose of training  priests) or  private schools of
          any kind  are permitted  to exist.   (And we've seen what is
          going on there.  They have people who don't know how to wind
          a watch.)
               Teaching  in  the  schools  must  emphasize  scientific
          materialism and  exclude  any  consideration  of  the super-
          natural."  (Encyclopedia Americana)  God is a no-no! 
               If you  have a  chance to see the original or true copy
          of our Constitution, you will see WE THE PEOPLE on the first
          line  of  the  Preamble.    We agreed to and established the
          Constitution  giving   permission  and   authority  for  our
          government.  
               This is  a fixed and immutable document changeable only
          by the ones who gave the authority for  government .  . . WE
          THE PEOPLE.  (Art V)  There is nothing in the document which
          gives the right to anyone  in  government  to  enlarge their
          sphere of power or authority.
               By  our  permission,  they  were  given  authority  and
          jurisdiction to  govern.   When they  exceed granted powers,
          they are breaking the law and violating the trust we imposed
          in them.  By such an  act their  jurisdiction ceases.  Alex-       
          ander Hamilton pointed out in the Federalist Papers (No. 78)
          that 'No legislative act, therefore, contrary to the Consti-
          tution can be valid.'
               Let's take  a look  at how  the federales are observing
          this guaranteed right  to  free  exercise  of  our religious
          beliefs.    Would  it  surprise  you to hear that they don't
          believe we have it? 
               The Internal Revenue  Service,  part  of  the executive
          branch,  have  regulations  which  have  a direct or implied
          consent of the  Congress.    They  can  decide  if  a church
          doesn't  conform   to  what  they  term  is  a  conventional
          religious belief.  By a simple letter they can then  say you
          are not a church and take away your tax exempt status. 
               Further restrictive  clauses mentioned  in the preamble
          to the Bill of Rights has a hollow ring.  I'll have to admit
          it  really  generates  confidence in our government, doesn't
          it?
               Looking a little further in  our  Bill  of  Rights, two
          more amendments  will make  our point.   The Ninth and Tenth
          are clear to anyone that no power or authority not expressly
          granted can  be seized.   These  were included  just in case
          someone in government decided  our Constitution  and Bill of
          Rights didn't  mean what  they say.  Let's see what they say
          and you will understand  why  governments  really  wish they
          didn't exist.

                                   Article IX
                  The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain
               rights,  shall  not  be   construed  to   deny  or
               disparage others retained by the people.
                                   Article X
                  The powers  not delegated  to the United States
               by the Constitution, nor  prohibited by  it to the
               States, are reserved to the States respectively or
               to the people.

               Not difficult to understand, are they?   Then  why were
          the people  arrested or  the church  and school  closed?  We
          have to reassert ourselves and assume the power of directing
          our governments  to their  intended roles.   We have elected
          people to Congress who break the law by  violating constitu-
          tional restrictions  and the  oath they  took to support the
          document.  Throw them out of office!  Drastic?   Not at all.
          Look at  what they are doing to us.  Those appointed deserve
          to have civil suits filed in federal courts for violation of
          our constitutional rights. 
               Relying on Supreme Court decisions as a guide to filing
          suits in court is normally a false hope.  First, the Supreme
          Court has  NO authority under our form of government to make
          law.  Their decisions are just  that .  . .  decisions . . .
          only  opinions!    The  basis  for  federal  suits  are  the
          Constitution and what our  Founding  Fathers  determined and
          established for our new government. 
               Nevertheless, there  are many  older decisions which do
          substantiate our stand.  Intensive research will find those.
          By  staying  strictly  within constitutional authority, they
          have no where to turn to disagree or argue against. 
          
               Petitions for Redress of  Grievances can  be effective.
          Send them  to all  members of  Congress together with anyone
          else in the bureaucracy with a suggestion of power.  This is
          First Amendment  right.   Send any  Petitions for Redress of
          Grievances via certified mail.   It  wouldn't  be  the first
          time bureaucrats  have 'lost'  mail when they haven't had to
          sign for it.  Phone calls and letters to members of Congress
          are a  must.  Ask questions about assuming powers we did not
          confer . . . about the oath they  have taken  to support the
          document etc.
               Before someone  takes me to task for the statement that
          the Founding Fathers were Christians, let  me point  out the
          last page  of the  Constitution.  When the delegates affixed
          their signatures before it was sent to the  Congress for its
          submission to the states we find: 
               "DONE in  Convention, by  the Unanimous Consent of
               the  States  present   the   Seventeenth   Day  of
               September  in  the  Year  of Our Lord one thousand
               seven hundred and Eighty seven . . . ."
               The   opening   illustration   was   not  hypothetical.
          Incidents like  this are occurring with frightening regular-
          ity.  Media reports  show  there  are  over  6000  cases now
          pending  between  religious  organizations  and  the federal
          government.  
               To allow these people to destroy  our country  and form
          of government,  all good people need to do is nothing!  What
          will you tell your posterity?  How will you justify  it?  Or
          is it  simply that  you don't  want to become involved . . .
          let your children  or  grandchildren  worry  about  it them-
          selves?
               There  is  a  point  where  the exercise of their power
          stops . . that's when we stand firm and say don't cross this
          line.
               Young  minds  are  fertile  ground.    The  state wants
          control of education to  mold  these  minds  to  their view.
          They WANT robots.  Let's deny them the power.


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