Witte examines church, state distinction in history
http://www.thedartmouth.com/article.php?aid=2005111101020
[excerpt]
By Elliot Mattingly
Published on Friday, November 11, 2005
Jeewon Kim/The Dartmouth Staff
Emory University law and ethics professor John Witte lectures at an event
titled "Separation of Church and State: Facts, Fictions and Future
Challenges" on Thursday evening at the Rockefeller Center.
Emory University law and ethics professor John Witte took a moderate stance
on the separation of church and state Thursday as he discussed the
relationship between government and religion in America during a speech at
the Rockefeller Center.
Reading from a prepared text, Witte gave the audience an overview of the
historical division between government and religion in America.
Arguing that the idea of separating church and state extends back to
biblical times, Witte cited multiple biblical examples that, he said, set a
precedent for keeping the two distinct.
"The Hebrew bible repeatedly commanded the Hebrew people to remain separate
from the outside world," Witte said.
American law is also rooted in the separation of church and state, Witte
said, which has directly resulted in the freedom of religion guaranteed by
the Constitution.
[end excerpt]
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Posting and reading from alt.politics.usa.constitution OR alt.education
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads [Virginia] SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members, there are members from
all over the U.S. and a couple from overseas as well]
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.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
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THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
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