All the recent mainstream media coverage about the school voucher case in the Supreme Court constantly brought up the "principle" of separation of church and state, presenting those words as an established constitutional principle.

They do not appear in the constitution.

What does appear in the constitution is the prohibition of laws that establish religion.  There is a very big difference between the two ideas.

The first concept, a fiction created by liberals, inclluding some who were Supreme Court jurists, establishes a complete prohibition of religious expression of any kind in any activity or location associated with the government.  It is actually a violation of the same amendment it claims to represent, since it denies the right of those in government to freely express their faith.  Any government offical who wears a visible Christian cross on the job is violating the mythical separation of church and state.

The second concept was the one the founding fathers gave us.  It was put in the constitution to keep America from having an official government-ordained religion like England had at the time -- and Islamic theocracies have at this time.

Vouchers are completely legal under the U.S. Constitution because they can be used to send kids to any religious school.  That's why your kids can get college loans to go to Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Mormon or any other kind of religious university. Al Gore went to just such a religious university.  It's called Yale.  It's a Protestant college.  If he had wanted to attend Notre Dame, a Catholic college, and needed financial help, he would have gotten it. Federally-sponsored college loans, like vouchers, would only be illegal if they could only be used to send kids to one kind of religous school.

When you hear the media morons use the phrase, "separation of church and state," they are, as usual, misinforming you.  They don't mean to do that.  It's just that they cannor read simple English sentences. Let's see if you can.

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. 

Vouchers don't benefit a religion.  They benefit all religions, plus schools that aren't religious, at all.  Just like federal grants and guaranteed loans for college. Any questions?  If there are, you were born to be a mainstream media journalist.  (LL)

© 2002 Oregon Magazine