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Freedom of Religion not Freedom from Religion
Of the thirteen original states that signed the constitution, nine of these states had a state run religion. Virginia’s state run religion was Episcopal, Massachusetts had a state run religion, Pennsylvania had no state run religion. All states were free to choose for themselves. So why put a separation clause in the United States Constitution? How could this even be considered when a majority of states had a state run religion?
 The answer is easy if you remember that the constitution is a document that limits the power of the federal government. The states were reserving this right of state run religion to themselves (see 10th amendment) because the founding fathers believed that if the federal government had a state run religion that it would trump the individual state’s religion. Religion was so important to the founding fathers that they protected it in the very first amendment to the constitution.,
Paul Revere’s father Apollos Rivoire, was a religious refugee. He was from a family of French Huguenots. He remembered the cruel Catholic persecutions of Louis XIV. Young, Apollos Rivoire, fled abroad and was sent to his uncle Simon Rivoire in Guernsey (a channel island) and later bound as an apprentice to an elderly silversmith in Calvinist New England, where many Huguenots found sanctuary. This is only one of many examples of why religious freedom was so important to the founding fathers.
With this knowledge of recent history in there memory, the state of Massecuttets made it clear that they would not sign without a bill of rights attached to the constitution. As a result, freedom of religion cannot be abridged. The largest religious assembly in the United States was held in the Capital Building in Washington at the turn of the 1800’s. President Thomas Jefferson made sure that the music was provided by the Marine Corps band, and that the expense was covered by the federal government. The 10 commandments are etched into the Supreme Court Building in Washington D.C.
Fast Forward to today and we find that through the Judicial system our first amendment religious rights are continually limited. The Judicial System sights separation of Church and State and the establishment clause in the constitution as the reason. Even though these are wise men who know the history as well as I, yet they persist and if a Judge (say in Alabama) refuses to take the 10 commandments out of his court house, he is removed as a judge. Why are his free speech rights denied while the courts continually want to expand our freedom of speech first amendment rights to include every vulgar expression?
Armed with the truth let us defend our religious freedom from the Judicial system. Edmond Burke said it best, “all that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing”. We need to elect men who know the history of this country and will tell the truth about that history. The truth will always set us free, lies will only serve to enslave us. We need to ask all of our candidates for political office if they believe in freedom of religion or in freedom from religion.
Michael Nance
Candidate for Assembly District 32
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