Separation of Church and State – What Is the Goal?
Americans also differ as to what the goal of the First Amendment really is. Is it to ensure complete noninvolvement of the state in church affairs and vice versa? Is it to ensure neutrality of the government toward those of various religious beliefs or no belief at all, thus ensuring equal rights for all? Or is the primary goal of the First Amendment to secure religious liberty, ensuring that all Americans have free choice in what they believe and the freedom to express or not express those beliefs?
Separation of Church and State -- The Cases
The following principles have emerged from the cases in which the Court has hashed out the parameters of the separation between church and state for past 60 years:
Separation of Church and State – The Common Misunderstanding
Today many Americans misunderstand the words “separation of church and state,” assuming that the law requires that public life must have nothing whatsoever to do with religion. They mistakenly believe that they should not discuss their own religious beliefs in public forums or even acknowledge their own religious traditions or heritage. This is an overreaction as well as a misinterpretation of the law for two reasons.