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THE MYTH OF SEPARATION

by Open-Publishing - Thursday 3 March 2005
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Justice Religions-Beliefs Governments USA

THE MYTH OF SEPARATION

By M. KATO

The Supreme Court is now hearing arguments for and against the display of the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments on government property involving two cases originating from Kentucky and Texas. It is anyone’s guess how the Supremes will rule even though proponents of a ban on such displays claim that such displays are in clear violation of the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, the so-called “Bill of Rights,” and are, therefore, unconstitutional. It states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Given the current climate in the country, with the Christian Right on a tear, supported by a president who believes he is God’s instrument, it is very possible that the Supremes will allow the displays to remain on government property. But, the more fundamental question is, does it really matter what their decision will be? I say this because, in a strictly legal sense with respect to the Establishment Clause, the country already tolerates so many glaring violations of it that allowing the display of the Ten Commandments on government property would cause no greater harm than that which has already been done by the inroads that historical precedents and practices have made on the erosion and subversion of this basic right. Indeed, the framers of the Constitution had made their religion-oriented intentions quite clear in their approval of the language Jefferson used in the writing of the Declaration of Independence.

That historic document either directly refers to or indirectly alludes to a deity in three places. In the very first sentence there is a reference to “nature’s God.” The second sentence declares that their “Creator” vouchsafes the “unalienable rights” of men. And, the last sentence invokes the “protection of Divine Providence” in support of the declaration. Therefore, it is evident that although a specific religion is not mentioned, the endorsement of monotheism is unmistakable.

The language used in the construction of the Constitution of the United States of America is decidedly more secular, but even this document refers to an established religious practice in Article One, Section 7, where it states in part, “If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted.)” This day of grace, if you will, is clearly granted with the Christian Sabbath in mind. And, in closing, the Constitution dutifully records the date as, “the seventeenth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven.” I don’t believe the Founding Fathers had King George III in mind with the reference to “our Lord.”

So, the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights is misleading since the language used both in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution undeniably exhibits a bias towards monotheism, and the last time I checked, monotheism is a structural tenet of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Thus, right from the outset, the Founding Fathers were establishing this tradition as an integral element in the foundation of the United States of America.

But, why quibble about origins. We have two hundred and twenty-nine years of further abuse of the so-called “Establishment Clause” to consider. Over the centuries our government institutions have added numerous religious symbols, practices and uses of religious language that effectively renders this clause null and void. I will mention just a few of these transgressions.

The original presidential oath of office, as it appears in Article Two, Section 1 of the Constitution, does not include the words, “So help me God.” But, when George Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States, he extemporized and added those words, setting a non-Constitutional precedent that every president since has dutifully followed, including the laying of hands on the Bible with the exception of Theodore Roosevelt who didn’t use one at his inauguration in 1905.

There is the inclusion of “In God We Trust,” on U.S. currency, the printing of U.S. postal stamps with religious themes (including a recent sop to Muslims), the traditional exemption from taxation of churches, the growing government funding of faith-based organizations, the use of paid chaplains in Congress, the Pledge of Allegiance (”one nation under God”), the National Anthem, where in the 4th stanza one finds the refrain “In God is our trust”, and so on. Ironically, there is a frieze of Moses holding the Decalogue that is prominently displayed on the Supreme Court’s courtroom wall. That presence will, no doubt, not go unnoticed by the Supremes when they make their final decision with regard to the matter before them.

I am certain that you readers can improve on this short list, which I didn’t intend to be exhaustive, but merely illustrative of the fact that this nation was neither founded on nor, as its history shows, intended to be a purely secular society. Thus, the declared separation of Church and State is a myth fostered by the fact that there is no established or “Official” State Church, like the United Kingdom’s Church of England. (Although Bush, Junior is trying mightily to correct that omission.) But there is an established state religious tradition that is undeniably Judeo-Christian in character.

And, while this fact does not violate the letter of the Establishment Clause, it should make all non-Jewish and non-Christian citizens of this country a little uneasy when they are confronted with these overt symbols, practices and uses of religious language peculiar to this established tradition. There is a not-so-subtle message embedded in them that says to these citizens who practice other religions, as well as atheists, that they are not really equal. Such a perception can only be detrimental to a democratic and pluralistic society that one neoconservative Under Secretary of State for Policy recently proclaimed is “...a ‘light unto the nations.’” (Douglas Feith, Remarks at Council on Foreign Relations, February 17, 2005 - go to defenselink.mil/policy/speech/feb_17_05.html)

Forum posts

  • The Masonic Founding of The United States of America

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    The next time you hear from some fundamentalist Christian talking about how the United States of America was founded by a group of church-going Christians, as the fundamentalists claim they are, think about this:

    The revolution against England was NOT a popular idea. Most people in The Colonies were quite happy with the way things were going. The people who were concerned about the taxes were those who would have to pay the majority of the taxes: the wealthy, the factories, and the shop owners. The majority of people in this country worked either for themselves or for someone else. The Boston Tea Party, you will recall, occurred because of the tax on tea. The fact of the matter is that most of the people in The Colonies didn’t drink tea. It was mainly the wealthy who retained that habit. It was, though, symbolic for the continued taxing to pay for the British nobility’s excesses. Fundamentalist Christians have this mistaken idea that when The Declaration of Independence was signed, everyone stood in line to sign it. Actually, it took over 5 years for everyone to sign it. That was well after the Revolutionary War was won. Part of the problem was transportation the other part was that many of the signers weren’t sure that breaking away from England was the best thing to do. After all, England was the greatest military and naval power in the world and their protection was an asset. So what if they taxed The Colonies? The taxes were necessary for having the British military and navy ready to defend them.

    Now, what about the Founding Fathers of the United States?

    Something like 98% of the Founding Fathers of the United States were MASONS. Their main religious affiliation was UNITARIAN. The rest were either Catholic or Church of England. If you will look at the Masonic rolls of Boston (MA), New York (NY), Philadelphia (PA), Richmond (VA) and a dozen other cities lining the east coast, it reads like a Who’s Who in American History. Many of the historical figures who came to help The Colonies in their break from England (e.g. Lafayette from France and Polaski from Poland) were also Masons. In fact, many of the officers who were fighting on the British side were also Masons. Masons, at that time, were DEISTS. A deist is one who believes that a God created the world but that same God doesn’t interfere with it. Most Christians are theists. A theist sees God interfering with or can interfere with what’s happening in the world. (This isn’t any different than the Pagans who believed that the gods interfered with the lives of humans.) In other words, the Founding Fathers of this country saw that what happens here was up to them. It wasn’t God’s will that The Colonies break away from England. It wasn’t God’s will that there be a United States of America. Nor was Manifest Destiny God’s will. It wasn’t God’s will that the United States eventually become a world power.

    The Masonic tradition at that time was highly steeped in OCCULTISM. The Masons were all practicing CEREMONIAL MAGICIANS. George Washington, wearing a Masonic apron, actually performed a Masonic (occult) rite when the cornerstone of the capital was laid and he placed a box containing Masonic medallions in that cornerstone. The signing of the Declaration of Independence was based on astrological timing worked out by one of the Founding Fathers. July 4th, 1776 at 12:00 noon at Philadelphia (PA) was very significant. That very time is when John Hancock placed his signature on the Declaration. They wanted to make sure that all of the "signs" were propitious for this infant country. Would Christians go to this trouble? Absolutely NOT! Consequently, the United States was founded by occultists based on occult principles.

    The Founding Fathers did NOT care for people who would manipulate The Bible for their own purposes. Their disdain for manipulative Christian religious philosophies and manipulative preachers is well-documented. People like Jerry Fallwell, Billy Graham, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Copeland, Gene Scott, Jimmy Swaggart, Peter Popov, Benny Hinn, and others of their ilk would bring out their anger. Read the works of Thomas Paine ("Common Sense") and Thomas Jefferson. (Fundamentalists conveniently over-look Jefferson’s scathing attacks on these kinds of preachers.) Jefferson, himself, was so angry with these kinds of philosophies and people that he even wrote his own version of The Bible. The Bible that George Washington and many of the presidents took the oath of office on was, in fact, a Masonic Bible. That Bible is now in the Smithsonian.

    The Masonic tradition at that time was a powerful influence on the world. For centuries just about every Pope, Cardinal, Bishop, nobleman, the royalty, and many generals were Masons. Many important people were also Masons. Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormons, was a Mason, as were many of the Baroque and Classical composers. Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, and more than half of the U.S. presidents were Masons. It was in the middle of the 19th century that THE CHURCH condemned the Masonic tradition and said they were all a bunch of devil worshippers. After The Church’s condemnation of the Masonic tradition, the manipulative branches of Christianity took up the banner (even though they see The Catholic Church as in league with the devil) because it aided them in their cause " control of the masses.

    Another thing you need to consider is that the principles upon which The United States was founded upon were, by and large, NOT Christian principles. Freedom of religion is definitely not a Christian principle. Nor is the right to vote a Christian principle. Free education for everyone is also not a Christian ideal. Also excluded are freedom of speech, press, or assembly. But then, slavery was permitted by Christianity (see Eph. 6:5) and this verse was used by, what were, the Southern fundamentalists of the time. In essence, the rights of the individual were NOT Christian but were Masonic ideals.

    It’s time that the facts be presented. Most people will not take the time to research and find the truth. Fundamentalists are always going around talking about The Truth, but when they are confronted by it they refuse to accept it. There are two types of ignorance: The first type of ignorance is that brought about by nature where an individual doesn’t have the mental capacities to seek and/or understand it. The second type of ignorance is chosen ignorance. This is the byword of fundamentalist Christianity. Through half-truths (half-truths are whole lies), purposeful semantic manipulations, and feigned knowledge and wisdom they "trap(ped) you with gile (lies)" (as Paul said to the Corinthians). The Truth is out there. You need to find it for yourself. No one has it for you.

    More images available here:

    http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2005/03/312553.shtml

  • Does the pledge of allegiance establish a religion — the worship of government? As a Libertarian, and an attorney too, the pledge’s Nazi past shocked me.

    The Pledge of Allegiance was written (1892) by a bigot who was a self-proclaimed National Socialist and member of the "Society of Christian Socialists" and he advocated that government should operate all schools as a socialist monopoly and end all of the better alternatives. http://rexcurry.net/pledgebigot.html

    The government forced children to attend segregated schools where they recited the Pledge using it’s original straight-arm salute. Eye-popping photos are at http://rexcurry.net/pledgeracism.html

    The practice began three decades before it was adopted by the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, and the government school racism continued through WWII and beyond, and the government schools still exist to this day. More photos at http://rexcurry.net/pledge2.html

    The pledge was authored by Francis Bellamy, first cousin and follower of the National Socialist author Edward Bellamy. Edward Bellamy’s novel, "Looking Backward," (1888) predicted that life in the year 2000 would be a totalitarian society where private trade is outlawed, where all men are in an "industrial army," (a Bellamy term) where all of society is modeled on the military and where the government schools are explicitly modeled on the military to indoctrinate everyone to submit to "military socialism" (another Bellamy term). It was portrayed as utopia.

    That is behind the militaristic totalitarian-style robotic chanting of the pledge as a collective by children in some government schools, on cue from the government every single day.

    As strange as it may seem, the totalitarian ideas that inspired the pledge’s author had a role in the socialist "Wholecaust" (of which the Holocaust was a part) and in hundreds of millions slaughtered worldwide.

    Remove the pledge from the flag. Remove the flag from the schools. Remove the schools from the government.

    • And let’s not forget "in god we trust" on US currency. Teddy Roosevelt advocated taking it off, because he felt money could be used for illegal purposes and it was not right for God’s name to be on there. There is plenty of documentation on the internet. What you will find, as in the case of the flag, that once again, fundamentalist christians have slowly and methodically been trying to socially engineer people to fit their dark agenda(utopia). It’s not about left vs. right, it’s about Americans vs. this radical right wing that would have kids go through mandatory mental health screening, chip implants, and forced religion in schools. Sometimes it comes from the left, sometimes the right, sometimes it’s a swastika and sometimes it’s a yellow ribbon. Fascism is tricky like that.

      14 signs of fascism:
      http://www.bushflash.com/14.html