Guest Post: Mike Ervin on Separation between Church and State

Okay, so here is the thing about the separation of church and state. Ready?

 It is not up for debate. There is no question about it. The separation of church and state is not only part or our constitution and government; it is, in fact, uniquely American.

“But Mike,” You say, “The words separation of church and state don’t appear in the constitution, so therefore the founding fathers never intended the constitution to create a wall between the church and the state.”

Well, first of all, I don’t like your tone, Mister. Secondly, while it is true that the words “separation of church and state” do not appear in the constitution, that doesn't mean anything. Let me explain.

As I am sure many of you know, the phrase “separation of church and state” comes from Thomas Jefferson. It was in a letter to a church who wrote him because they were concerned about the First Amendment. TJ used the phrase (Yes, TJ. I call Thomas Jefferson TJ. Is that going to be a problem? Okay, fine. Thomas Jefferson).

Thomas Jefferson used the phrase “separation of church and state” in a letter to the church to defend the first amendment. He said it was there to create a wall between the church and the state.  But, that still doesn't mean anything and doesn’t matter, right? So what? You say. Thomas Jefferson’s opinion, while held high, doesn't necessarily close the books on the debate. It’s still not in the constitution.

Well Thomas Jefferson’s opinion should close the books, but that’s not the point.

Here is the point.

Separation of church and state is not in the constitution. It is the constitution.

Okay hold on, I’ll explain myself.

If you boil down the constitution to one idea-if you take out all the procedure-you are left with a fairly simple concept. This concept is what made the United States “the Great Experiment”. We did not invent Democracy. What made us different than every other society that came before us was this very simple concept: WE THE PEOPLE.

We the people grant the power to the government.
We the people create the government.
We the people choose who creates laws.
The Power of the government-the authority it has to govern-is granted by the people.

Not God.

That is at the heart of what the constitution means. Every king that came before us, every Queen, every dictator, all claimed their authority to rule as a God-given right and only God could remove it.

But in the US of A, the people choose.

The constitution establishes that with first three words. That’s why, when President George W. Bush said that he was chosen to be president by God, my stomach turned. I’m sure his parties’ base loved it, but it goes against everything this country has built. It goes against the very idea that made our government different... better.... stronger.

It’s important that our government never forget that they get their authority from the people and not from God. They answer to us and we can hold them accountable