In response to the Viewpoint article by Stephen Lewis, "School prayer should be home work" in the May 30, 2002 issue to the Northglenn – Thornton Sentinel. 

Like many in our society today, Mr. Lewis has taken a stance that the separation of church and state is absolute – right down to forbidding a graduating class of six students at Plainview High School from using a prayer in their commencement ceremonies.  This is nothing short of wrong and shows a complete disregard for what this country's forefathers sought when they founded this country.

First and foremost, one should know exactly what the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights says.  To quote, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;" 

In other words, it says that the government cannot and will not establish an "official" religion or church nor favor a given church over another.  Certainly our Founding Fathers wanted this to prevent a situation like in England where the Church of England was basically an arm of the government and had control over politics.  Indeed, they were not against religion in government – just against religion having power in government.  Why else would they refer to God so frequently in documents, open every session of Congress with a prayer, etc.?

If our founding fathers intended the separation we are now levied with would their earliest documents contain phrases like these:

"…WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness…" The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

"…that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth."  Excerpt from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."  The Pledge was first published Sept. 8, 1892, but the phrase, "under God", was added by an act of Congress in 1954.

"In God we Trust"  This motto was put on all paper currency by an Act of Congress in 1955 and was chosen as our national motto by an Act of Congress in 1956.

Today's liberal interpretation of the First Amendment always includes the phrase, "the separation of church and state."  There is NOT ONE place in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution or the Bill of Rights that uses the phrase "separation of church and state" or anything of the like.  There is no law in our country stating a, "separation of church and state."  That phrase only came about in the last 100 years as the liberal court system seemed to lose its place and instead of litigating, began legislating! 

Did the founding fathers really mean for there to be a complete separation?  If so, then why would they refer to the Lord in the very document that proclaimed their independence?  Why did the first act of the United States Congress authorize the printing of 20,000 Bibles for the Indians? 

Indeed, the first president of our nation, George Washington, issued a "National Thanksgiving Proclamation" – this is what we now know as Thanksgiving Day.  Do you know what it said?  Among other things, "it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor;" 

That doesn't sound like much of a "separation of church and state" and it definitely doesn't lead me to believe that these six students should not be allowed to say a prayer at their commencement while using the First Amendment as a basis to deny it!  Judge Marcia Krieger did the right thing is allowing the commencement to proceed as the students wanted it to. 

Sincerely,

Tony