Separation of Church & State: What the Founders Meant

This is a 25 page pamphlet - not a book. Rather, it is an essay written to espouse the Christian values that were acknowledged by the founders of this nation. Interesting and informative counterpoint to the often cited, but non-existent "constitutional requirement" for separation of church and state.

I applaud David Barton's efforts to confront the revisionist history that is being embraced by those who despise the Bible, the Constitution and the liberty and well being of men. The 'separation of church and state' that is embraced today to forbid the very free exercise of religion that the Constitution protects and the founding fathers encouraged is an evil that needs to be exposed and Barton does just that. He includes numerous quotes from such patriots as George Washington, James Madison, Noah Webster and Benjamin Rush to demonstrate the importance they placed on the teaching of religious values to the young (indeed to all men) even in such settings as public schools. Barton demonstrates how Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists was abused by the Supreme Court when it ruled that 'separation of church and state' meant that religious values could NOT be taught in public schools (overturning the sentiment found in numerous Supreme Court rulings such as Reynolds v. United States) and turning on its head what Jefferson was actually saying.If you have an open mind and are receptive to the truth I encourage you to read this book and then start digging into the writings of that amazing group of men we call the founding fathers. In some of the negative reviews of this book you will read the claim that many of the founding fathers were deists and not Christians (a false claim by the way as many founding fathers that are often claimed to be deists such as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and John Adams by their own words refute such a contention and even a true deist like Benjamin Franklin had great praise for the gospel of Jesus Christ) when in reality one would be hard pressed to name even five deists among them. You will find condemnation of the Bible by those who neither know it nor care for the holiness that it espouses (as a Christian myself I am always amazed at those who claim to have been Christians but now condemn the Bible when it becomes quickly clear they have very little knowledge of what it says ... one can always disagree with it but at least quote it accurately if you do).Barton does make some minor errors in his attributions but they pale in comparison to the errors of those who are working overtime to gut the Constitution and a true understanding of our history or the important role that the Christian religion has played in our history (and what I mean by the Christian religion is what Jesus and His apostles taught and NOT the horrific corruptions of it such as has been seen in Europe where 'the church' was the state and great evil was done 'in the name of God' ... that sort of 'Christianity' deserves to be condemned but than it had little to do with Jesus; from Matthew 7 to another great book Amazon carries entitled 'Be Not Deceived' by Edward F. Mrkvicka Jr. one can come to understand that that 'Christianity' is a fraud and not to be confused with true Christianity).

This is a very short but extremely interesting and enlightening booklet. The truth has been so twisted and obfuscated for so long that we, as a nation, have come to believe the lies. Educate yourself. As a dear friend of mine always used to say, if you're motivated by what you do know, you should be motivated as well by what you do not know.

I firmly believe that every single American should be required to read this book and then be required to read the Holy Bible in its entirety and thus truly educate themselves to the true cause and foundation of America's greatness and that greatness ONLY comes from following God's Commandments and from being obedient to His Oracles otherwise, we are a lost nation that will soon be but a memory. We MUST understand that America's greatness, and ours, comes from following God's Holy Word (i.e. the Holy Bible). We MUST understand that or we are a doomed nation but, I also find it telling that the start of America's demise began with the start of Israel's rebirth in 1947. Commonly known as the beginning of the last days and when everything would turn back to Israel (after the Rapture of the Christians takes place the Grace Dispensation will turn back to the Jewish people and Almighty God will re-establish His Covenant with them).Therefore, it is imperative that, in what little time is left, everyone MUST make their election and calling sure.Reading this book and the Holy Bible will bring enlightenment to blinded eyes so that they can see and know the signs of the times and redeem the time because it is short. This book and the Holy Bible MUST be required reading and MUST be taught in ALL schools from kindergarten to college so that ALL may have the opportunity to know the truth and to follow the truth and thereby gain their salvation from the sure destruction that is coming upon this earth.I highly recommend reading the Holy Bible and this book for your own soul's sake. May Almighty God have mercy upon each and everyone of us. We will be held accountable.

A thin book packed with information. As a long time student of the Constitution I was aware of some of the facts as presented but Mr. Barton really fleshes out the holes in our understanding by digging a little deeper into the Congressional records. I have had many discussions with people who try to put forward the arguement that we can't really know what the founders were thinking as they composed the great documents related to the birth of this nation. Mr. Barton, thankfully, puts this attempt at decption to rest easily. We can know exactly what the founders were thinking not only by reading the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers, the founder's personal correspondences, but also through the Congressional records and the different revisions of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that were proposed, debated and re-written. The truth CAN be known - it just takes a little effort. Mr. Obama and the liberals and atheists will be chagrinned to find that the United States of America, as envisioned and as founded was indeed a Christian nation and I, for one, am very happy to learn more on the depths of this vision. I think this explains why many patriots believe that the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are basically sacred documents and illuminate the fact that God's hand guided the founders in creating them. Aside from the Bible, there is nothing that has ever been written that so strongly attests that the Spirit of God guided the founding Fathers in all of their endeavors relating to the birth of this nation. We should thank God and work to protect and assert these facts every day.