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April 6, 1989

Editor
Englewood Independent
107 W. National Rd.
Englewood, OH 45322

Dear Editor
It seems as though every session, the Supreme Court has a case involving separation of church and state. Many public arguments center on individual ideas of separation of church and state. The best legal minds do not always agree on the meaning of the First Amendment. We cannot expect the rest of us to agree. However, I am sure that today's applications of the First Amendment are not the interpretation of the writers of that Amendment. The Amendment reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; . . .." That is the ammunition today for open warfare against God! We must keep in mind the prohibiting clause is as important as the establishment clause. The prohibiting clause is in more danger today than the establishment clause. You would think that most people would take as a fundamental axiom, if the founding fathers of our country had the right to write an Amendment that is binding on us, that what they meant by that Amendment is what is binding. In other words, it doesn't make sense to apply a law apart from the interpretation of that law. You simply cannot interpret a law apart from the historical setting of that law. Does anyone think that early Americans were afraid that some person might mention his or her faith in God in a public setting? The First Amendment came about because some people were forced to support churches and denominations that were not according to their religious beliefs. We also know that the first thought was to make an official denomination or several denominations of our country in which tax money would support. I know that I do not have a trained legal mind, but I cannot see anything in the First Amendment preventing our Government from recognizing their responsibility to God. If it does then our First Amendment is not a blessing, but a curse. The Bible declares in Romans 13 that civil governments derive their authority from God, and are responsible to God. Regardless of one's religious belief, government has a responsibility to God to act responsible. Every individual government official, elected or appointed, has his or her primary responsibility to the true and living God. No one has any right to use or abuse the constitution to deny the rights of the LORD who is the supreme authority. The First Amendment does not, and cannot, teach separation of God and government.
By His Grace and For His Glory

Pastor Charles J. Arnett Union Baptist Church
528 N. Main St. Englewood OH 45322
836-3272