In the Jan. 10 Journal Gazette, there appeared a commentary on "separation of church and state" by Jill Long Thompson.
Recently on the TV news was coverage of Gov. Mike Braun saluting young people wanting to establish a TurningPointUSA chapter. Immediately thereafter appeared an ACLU attorney.
More recently there was a submission by a reader that ended by stating "that is not what the founders meant" concerning Christianity in public schools.
The article by Long Thompson was fueled by Braun wanting to move a boulder with the Ten Commandments affixed onto state property. Her view was that this violated the fictitious premise of church/state. You would think a former member of Congress would have a more secure knowledge of the issue.
She pointed out her time as a student at Valparaiso University, studying various religions. She most assuredly did not equate Christianity with the founding of the United States.
The most shocking statement she made was equating Islam as teaching "integrity, truth, equality, respect and justice." On the morning of Jan. 12, it was reported Iran had murdered 530 protesters. That number has since been increased to at least 30,000. ISIS in Mozambique documents beheading and shooting Christians and burning churches.
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter formed the Department of Education. Prior to that, education was left to the states. That seemed to work out pretty well for America.
I was educated in that manner. Patriotism was a part of the day, as was Christianity. Amazing what a department of the government has done to American youth to scrap that. Any wonder why there is a proliferation of Christian, parochial and other education facilities available to parents nowadays?
So, what did the founders say?
George Washington: "We have no government armed with power capable with contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Also: "It is impossible to rightly govern without God and the Bible."
Patrick Henry: "It cannot be emphasized enough too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ! For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom to worship here."
Benjamin Franklin: "Whoever shall introduce into public affairs the principles of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world."
John Jay, first chief justice: "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty as well as the privilege, and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
James Madison: "Cursed be all learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ."
So, where did this separation of church and state come from? There is zero reference to this subject in any founding document of our country: the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence.
Even the Federalists, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, had no need to discuss it.
Here is where the words originated. In a letter to the Danbury Baptists dated Jan. 1, 1802, Thomas Jefferson wrote: "I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church and State."
Jefferson actually borrowed the phrase "a wall of separation" from the Baptist minister Roger Williams. Williams was referring to the separation of the world from the garden of the church.
Words and their true meaning are very important when discussing or reading about this issue. There are libraries available to learn about this subject. It is very important, particularly in times such as these.
Separation of church and state is nonsense. Become informed.
Long Thompson indicted herself as not even knowing this was nonsense. And she was an elected representative of the people who did not even now of this nonsense? Shame on her.
Dave Cooper is a Churubusco resident.cooper