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On that note you are right! and I agree, But also it does not say anything to the contrary either.

No it doesn't but the 1st ammendment of the Constitution has been defined to mean seperation of Church and State...

The costitution was written and designed to go hand in hand with our Declaration of Indapendence, And the declaration was a Seperation from Britan who was ruled by the church and it could very well be that seeings how we were not called a country but state at that time, that they ment seperating them selves from Britian and there rule of church? it is an interpratation just as anyone view on these documents. Unless your signiture is on the documents you can only inturpate the meaning, not state it as fact.

The Declaration is not a legal document but the Constituion is.....

The declaration is a leagal document! It is this country declaring they are free fom Britian and and any other country.
If it was not a leagal document then we would still be under the rule of Great Britian.
No one would reconize it! It is as leagal as any document! with out it we would have no constituion no bill of rights And there would be no way we could sitting here now debating this issue!

When was it defined and by who?

This is the 1st amendment: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.

The U.S. Constitution:

The most convincing evidence that our government did not ground itself upon Christianity comes from the very document that defines it-- the United States Constitution.

If indeed our Framers had aimed to found a Christian republic, it would seem highly unlikely that they would have forgotten to leave out their Christian intentions in the Supreme law of the land. In fact, nowhere in the Constitution do we have a single mention of Christianity, God, Jesus, or any Supreme Being. There occurs only two references to religion and they both use exclusionary wording. The 1st Amendment's says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. . ." and in Article VI, Section 3, ". . . no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

[color=red]Thomas Jefferson interpreted the 1st Amendment in his famous letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in January 1, 1802: "I contemplate with sovereign 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."

Some Religious activists try to extricate the concept of separation between church and State by claiming that those words do not occur in the Constitution. Indeed they do not, but neither does it exactly say "freedom of religion," yet the First Amendment implies both.

As Thomas Jefferson wrote in his Autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom:

"Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting "Jesus Christ," so that it would read "A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;" the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination."

James Madison, perhaps the greatest supporter for separation of church and State, and whom many refer to as the father of the Constitution, also held similar views which he expressed in his letter to Edward Livingston, 10 July 1822:

"And I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in shewing that religion & Govt will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together."

Today, if ever our government needed proof that the separation of church and State works to ensure the freedom of religion, one only need to look at the plethora of Churches, temples, and shrines that exist in the cities and towns throughout the United States. Only a secular government, divorced from religion could possibly allow such tolerant diversity.

In the first place if it doesn't tell us then why would it exist?

Americans apperarently don't know that when it comes to determing what the law of the united States means? Hear that Goose you don't understand how to determine what are laws are!
OMG! The united States have no clue what there laws are? The only ones who can understand what our laws are form other countries!
Did we add Canada to our states? I must have slep thru it.
I take great personal offence that you from another country would tell Americans what documents we have are good and what ones arnt!
Personally I think if the American people have a problem interuratating there own laws, it should be between them I do not think another country should come in and dictate to us what we should reconize and what is just a piece of paper!
That piece of paper states that we shall be seperate from Britian and all other bodies of governments (including Canada)
Everything you have said in this comment is a mockery of the United States.
You may wish to bask America, You may hate us with every fiber of your being And that is your right! but do not try to dictate to America what is important and what is not from there own history!
The declaration of indapendence declares you have no right to rule us! Come tell an American that Canada or any other country has the right to govern us. You will find out what the Declaration was written for!
I am so glad this is only your opinion and not that of your leaders.

I would like to interject that there is no such thing as a separation of Church and State. No such separation exists, it cannot exist by definition. The United States was founded with a government of the the people, for the people, and by the people.

What is the State? It is You and I. It is the people that make up the State. The State is not merely a territory, nor some absract legal concept. It is not merely a conglomerate of politicians who dictate to the rest of us what is so. To the contrary, it is us the people whom should dictate to the government what shall be so.

What is the Church? It is You and I (if you are Christian). It is the people that are the Church. Church is not merely an institution, nor is it simply a building where people go to sing. The Church at the root of the word itself is the people.

The idea of a separation of Church and State cannot survive on its own. The same people that are the Church are also the State. It is you and I that must decide what shall be so, and not the egos of politicians and clergymen.

I agree on all of the above...However seperation of church and state merely means that governement will not interfere in nor be seen as supporting one religion over the other...which contravenes the Constitution....as far as law goes...It is and has to be neutral and impartial when it comes to race...creed...or religion...hence the saying...justice is blind!!!!!!!!

[color=red]Thomas Jefferson interpreted the 1st Amendment in his famous letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in January 1, 1802: "I contemplate with sovereign 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."

exactly make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

And where have you been? I love what you just stated! It is truly American!

Whereas Four hundred and eighty-one years ago the rediscovery of this Family of Islands, Rocks and Cays heralded the rebirth of the New World;
And Whereas the People of this Family of Islands recognizing that the preservation of their Freedom will be guaranteed by a national commitment to Self-discipline, Industry, Loyalty, Unity and an abiding respect for Christian values and the Rule of Law;
Now Know Ye Therefore:
We the Inheritors of and Successors to this Family of Islands, recognizing the Supremacy of God and believing in the Fundamental Rights and Freedoms of the Individual, Do Hereby Proclaim in Solemn Praise the Establishment of a Free and Democratic Sovereign Nation founded on Spiritual Values and in which no Man, Woman or Child shall ever be Slave or Bondsman to anyone or their Labour exploited or their Lives frustrated by deprivation, and do Hereby Provide by these Articles for the indivisible Unity and Creation under God of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

This is the Preamble of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas(1973)

The US Constitution does Not contain such a provision.

Posting hanging or displaying the 10 comandments does not say you have to believe this! it does not say I suport this religion and no other!
And to be truthfull the 10 comandments does not discriminate against any religion. and nor does it claim to be from one religion!
It does Say God but not whos God! And all religions have a God!
they may be by different names but they have a God!
And there is a difference in Beleiving in God and Christianity!!!!!
You may be a christian if you believe in Christ not the religion!
You beleive in God Does not make you a christian! Maybe before people can seperate chruch from state they should learn how to seperate Christians form religion!!!!!!
most all of the comandments are our laws! and what is not our law and could be conciderd as religious is in general not a spasific God so this could be incorperated into any religion.
And so it gets down to a fight between a beleiver in God and a non beleiver. The Ten comandments are not for Christians only as Christ was never mentioned.

Thank you for your intelligent input!

Okay, Okay...she didn't write that, but she probably wanted to.

Majority rules. That is still the rule I think. The bulk of the citizens in Colonial America were Christian. The majority of Americans today are Christian (at least nominally). "Church" is principally a Christian term. And as far as I know, majority still rules.

This does not mean that the Church as a constitutional right to shove their religion down everyone else's throat. Nor does it mean that the Government has a responsibility to de-god everything. It simply means majority rules, and the majority of us are Christian (at least that's what we claim). Where non-Christian persons are concerned, the last time I checked, neither the Government, nor the Church demands your participation. I'm pretty sure religious freedom (at least for a little while) still exists.

Majority rules, but no one is forcing the minority to be anything other than what they are. If it's not a law then it should be: You have the right to be passive, but you do not have the right to disrupt everyone else. In other words sit quietly during the Pledge of Allegence and don't say anything; the same goes for public prayers. Money that says "god" on it will still pay for what you need, and need not be considered an act of worship.

Christians....well in short....learn to follow Jesus' example a little better, and maybe everyone else won't be so pissed off at you.

Thank you again that is I think the best explanation to this I have had heard yet!

Whining is not a good debating skill, nor is it attractive. Attacking is even less so.

You can read whatever you like into the Constitution and even imagine pictures to go along with it, but you, the judges, politicians and the rest of the country are still bound by what it states! That means keeping religion out of a court of law.
Believe what you want in your heart and your mind, practice your religion in your home, church, out in the woods, but not in a court of law.
That's what laws are there for and what they state!

If religious fanatics take over the courtrooms in America what do you think would happen.
Eventually you would be forced to abide by their laws not the ones laid out by the founding fathers.
That would spill over into Canada and all of North America would be doomed....unless you believed as they do.

Does Saudi Arabia look like an attractive place to live for the common man or woman?

No open toed shoes for you girlie!

First of all it was not whining! and no one has proven to me that any document that has not been alterd or changed to fit the needs of certian people and not all people. has said said that you can not have any religious items in a court of law or government.
Really it says not much at all about religion nothing is spasific about religion other then we have the right choose and practice what we want. and we are free to claim what we are.
and to have a religious fanatic take over the court system is not going to happen because the courts system is juristiction of the government and government is the people of the the usa.
And as far as Saudi Arabia goes if I want to go I will if I don't want to I wont that is my choice! and if you dont like me staying in the country I was born to you have the choice to go to Arabia instead!

Where did I say I wanted you to move to Saudi Arabia?

Reading anything involves comprehension and that would include the Constitution. You can't just pick certain words and mix them up however you like.

It's comparing one country where religion is intermingled with goverment and law and one where it isn't.

The choice might not be your's to make. They may not want you in their country.