A Wall of Separation between Law and Religion Term Paper

A Wall of Separation between Law and Religion - Term Paper Example The history of the United States is replete with governmental acknowledgment, and in some cases accommodation, of religion. The national motto â€Å"IN GOD WE TRUST† of the United States first appeared on the 1864 two-cent coin, which was officially adopted in 1956, clearly proves that the government is not atheist. (Facts sheet, 2007) The First Amendment states that â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.† The Establishment Clause represents one of America’s most cherished safeguards and is also most heavily litigated. Time and again there are allegations that â€Å"the courts and their civil-libertarian allies have waged a relentless battle to drive the words and symbols of traditional faith from the nation’s discourse.† (Stanton, M., 1996) The main focus was not only the public schools, where prayer, Bible reading, and display of the Ten Commandments have all been banished but extends to other venues also. The co mmon view is that â€Å"from the first day of the United States until today, the Supreme Court has been pivotal in interpreting our Constitution and shaping our republic.† (Land Mark Supreme Court Cases, 2007). In the opinion of Justice Hugo Black and others, the Founding Fathers sought to raise an impregnable ‘wall of separation’ between government and religious faith when they adopted the First Amendment. Perhaps Thomas Jefferson is considered as the first to cite the term â€Å"wall of separation† in a message to the Danbury Baptists. Jefferson further emphasized his point through a letter to a Presbyterian clergy that â€Å"I consider the government to the United States as interdicted from meddling with religious institutions; certainly no power over religious discipline has been delegated to the general government.†