Freedom is lost if public prayer stifled
Recently a small group of apparently well-meaning individuals tried to prevent the Hamilton County Commission from praying before meetings. Apparently, they were concerned about the separation of church and state as they interpret the Constitution.
I believe that the intent of the Constitution was to protect the “church” from interference by the “state,” not to protect the state from the church.
Prior to the American Revolution, we were governed by England, a nation where the church and the state were essentially the same. The church, with the support of parliament, persecuted other religious groups. The monarchy, in turn, collected taxes to support the Anglican Church. Our Constitution attempted to ensure that no such system was implemented in the U.S.A.
Our Constitution intended that we have freedom “of” religion, not freedom “from” religion.
What kind of freedom of religion do we have in this country if we are not allowed to pray in public?