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The First Amendment and religion

September 27, 2005

Dear Editor:

There has been more controversy over the word, "God" and its usage than I can remember in my 34 years on this planet. It is now being called unconstitutional by some federal judge in California.

This is due to the belief that the constitution dissolves any religious beliefs once the government comes into the picture. For example, schools are a government organization so the Pledge of Allegiance should not be said. Radical extremists have stretched the meaning of separation of church and state to the breaking point.

The Constitution states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion ..." What people think this means, and they are wrong, is that religion has no place in government. Its true meaning is that Congress cannot pass laws that restrict or support one religion. In other words, they cannot make it law to be a Baptist or a Catholic or pass laws making a religion illegal.

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In England, the Anglican ruled at the time America was founded. There was no religious freedom. You could not speak out against the church or you were a heretic and punished. This being said, when our forefathers wrote the Constitution they did not want the same to happen here. They were religious, they believed in God, and I assure you they had their religious beliefs in mind when they wrote it.

Matthew Hollins

Stanford

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