Carter: The Separation of Church and State

The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The First Amendment clearly protects religion by separating it from state. The First Amendment is not only protecting religion it is also protecting the people’s religious freedom, to choose and practice any religion they wish. It protects religion from the control of government. “The Supreme Court has said many times that a government may neither “advance” religion nor engages in an “excessive entanglement” with it (Carter 104).” This proves that the First Amendment protects religion because a government is not to encourage religion nor partake in any involvement of religion. Carter says it in The Separation of Church and State, that “for most of the American history, the principal purpose of the Establishment Clause has been understood as the protection of the religious world against the secular government (104).” The Establishment Clause in the First Amendment was created for this reason; throughout history it has served the purpose of protecting religion from government. Without the Establishment Clause the government would have the power to intervene with the religious world. Before the First Amendment was created the state was able to prescribe a prayer to start the school day and or pick a holy book where the prayer would be chosen from, religion clauses were written to forbid this (105).
The Justices made a wise decision to forbid the state from choosing the religious materials used in school and from forbidding religion to be taught in the classroom. It protects those of all religions and protects those who chose not to practice religion because neither are forced to participate in something they wish not to.

Carter L. Stephen. “The Separation of Church and State.” A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers. Ed. Lee A. Jacobus. 7th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006. pp 104-105.