Separation of Church and State
The signers of the Mayflower Compact were Separatists. They desired a government that promoted liberty rather than a denominational government similar to what they had experienced in Great Britain. This post will attempt to describe the differences between the views of “the Separation of Church and State” in our time and theirs. The basis for the often quoted “Separation of Church and State” can be found in the letter Thomas Jefferson wrote responding to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. The Danbury Baptist Association was concerned about a rumor of a national denomination being established (Patton 1995). Jefferson responded by quoting the part of the First Amendment which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Jefferson then said that the establishment clause formed a “wall of separation between church and State.” The critical point is that this separation was a...