A s we are now in the Christmas season, we are once again confronted with arguments over the public display of religious scenes, most notably the Christmas tree and the crèche, both of which are important to followers of the various Christian religions.
In recent times, protests have been made that the display of items associated with religion in public places is a violation of the U.S. Constitution and its mandate that church and state must be separated.
However, a review of the Constitution reveals nothing that prohibits religious displays in the public domain. In fact, the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
The amendment makes it clear that the U.S. government may not force people to be religious, may not establish one specific religion for all Americans to follow; and importantly, may not prevent a person from practicing the religion of his or her personal choice.
The latter is important because a government that can stop the ordinary citizen from practicing a given religion can also force the person to pursue the religion that the government chooses, by making the practice of that religion the only one which will not be stopped by the government.
But what is religion? Religion is a belief. It is the belief in a God, the existence of which cannot be proven. Significantly, the belief that there is no God is also a belief that cannot be proven.
As such, when the federal, state and local governments and the courts rule that items that symbolize the beliefs of some citizens cannot be displayed in the public square, they are ruling in favor of those for whom the absence of those items in the public square symbolizes their beliefs. Essentially they are preventing those who believe in God from the free exercise of their faith; and by doing so, establishing the belief that there is no God as that of the United States of America, in violation of the Constitution.
Finally, the writings of Thomas Jefferson are used to prove the Constitution requires a separation of church and state and to justify the removal of religious displays from public places. In fact, Jefferson’s writings prove he believed in God.
If you disagree, read the Declaration of Independence, which he wrote, and his writings that are prominently displayed in the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. In all, he clearly referenced God, and it can be argued that he was asking for divine guidance for the United States of America.
Bob Tagliente
East Brunswick