More on Separation of Church and State

Steve Mis and I agree on one thing “I and those who agree with me believe in the Constitution” we unfortunately understand The Constitution to mean different things. There’s a lot that The Constitution doesn’t say but is implied and left open to future interpretation so as to keep the U.S. Constitution brief and flexible enough to be useful over time. The Courts have repeatedly ruled that any act by any member of government when acting in their official capacity, that means dog catcher on up to U.S. Senator, which favors one religion over another is unconstitutional based on the establishment clause. The key here is that in order for the individual’s freedom to say a prayer to be restricted they must be acting in their official government capacity. So Mr. Mis’ concern that those who believe as I do want to prevent him from expressing his religious beliefs in public is unfounded.

Regarding his suggestion that I implied he’s a bigot, I’m glad to hear that he isn’t but wasn’t my actual point. People are often uncomfortable when they feel that they are different from all the others in the room. Fairness suggests that we not drive that wedge further by offering a sectarian prayer. One of the enduring principles that makes the United States the greatest country in the world is that we believe that all are created equal and hence we all belong. Let us not allow anything to make members of our community feel otherwise.