This is a moot topic that has been rehashed and beat to death

Separation of Church and state is mandated in the 1st amendment, the establishment clause, and literally scores of supreme court decisions.

Yes there have been occasional lapses in constitutional comprehension, and some Xian insanity and duplicity has slipped through the cracks, but these have almost always been quickly reversed.

Religion has no place in public policy and public institutions....end of discussion
yes, there are cases of “generic” references to a lower case “g” god, some grandfathered in pre session prayer of the most secular type, and some revised mildly deist ritual, such as “swearing in” before testimony, and taking of "oaths” which pre date Christianity and go back to ancient Greece
It is no more complicated then that. Anything beyond that is anti American theocratic subversion

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A brilliant mind and a superior intellect, no matter WHAT screen name I am logged in under

Some people say all Republicans are inbred ignorant southern hicks,,,,NOT TRUE…Some live in Indiana

It's quite simple really, I'm smarter then you

If this is a public funded school an opening prayer should be prohibited.

Unless they were breaking some dress code rule about no printed t shirts this is wrong. Our constitution protects against this kind of discrimination. They could actually hire a lawyer and win if religion was the reason this happened. What happened in these incidents? Could you provide a link?

It seems to me there are more public displays then ever before. I could be wrong, but everywhere I travel in this country I see religious services announced in newspapers and television. I hear religious broadcasts on the radio, TV and internet. Our local mall has an enormous Christian retail store. Anyone can walk about freely into any public place with religious clothing or texts.

I spend my own funds to send my son to a Catholic school (although admittedly for the academics, not the religion. They open each morning with a prayer and he likes it.

I would not want my tax money supporting one religion or belief over another in a public school setting.

I do not think the founders wrote our constitution with the thought that people might drop over dead if they listened to a prayer. The separation was for the protection of all of us as Americans to have freedom to follow our own beliefs. I believe that everyone in this country has the right to practice, or not practice, organized faith.

Religion does not have any place in public policy.

The fact that members pay taxes, is meaningless. My renters pay sales taxes, utility taxes, income taxes, etc. That doesn't give me a pass on the property tax, or school tax. The same goes for businesses, their employees and customers pay taxes, yet so does the business. Churches should be no different. Under your logic, no entity should pay taxes, except the individual, because the money has already be taxed once. Hell, even the book Christians use says "render onto Caesar that which is Cesare's", in referring to taxes. Freedom to worship does not equate to freedom FROM taxes. To claim an exemption is nothing more than another example of the HYPOCRISY I spoke of earlier.

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If you want change stop electing "liberal: democrats and "radical" Republicans. Find and support true Conservatives; those who believe in fiscal responsibilities, individual accountability, and a smaller government, with less control of your daily life.

So for those of you who do not beleive in seperating religion from governemtn which religion should be allowed to be in government. My dad would probably think LDS. Is that ok with all of you?

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Obama '08

Separation of church and state is nothing but a myth.

I would work at an abortion clinic if it paid well.

And the church is nothing more than a cult.