The Baptists of Idiot America are fucking idiots but at least some of these idiots respect our Establishment Clause.

Church-State Separation

The separation of church and state, or the “wall of separation” talked about by colonial Baptist Roger Williams, American leader Thomas Jefferson and the U.S. Supreme Court, is simply shorthand for expressing a deeper truth: religious liberty is best protected when church and state remain institutionally separated and neither tries to perform or interfere with the essential mission and work of the other.

For many Baptists, religious liberty is tied to the notion of “soul freedom,” which each individual receives as a gift from God. For others, it is tied to freedom of conscience. Church-state separation is the means of protecting these personal liberties.

Religious liberty in the United States of America is protected by the First Amendment’s two religion clauses, found in the first 16 words of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights, which became law in 1791:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”

These twin guarantees — free exercise of religion and no establishment of religion — have shaped the relationship between institutions of government and religion throughout our history, and their meaning has been developed by decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. The First Amendment is binding upon the states, in addition to the federal government, by virtue of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.