Several years ago, at a family Christmas gathering, my Grandma Joyce and my Uncle Paul, along with others, were discussing the topic of Christmas in schools today.
My grandmother said something about how schools can't celebrate Christmas specifically because of the "separation of church and state." My uncle, who carries around a copy of the U.S. Constitution (really, he does), pulled it out, handed it to her and said, "I'll give you $10 if you can find the section about "separation of church and state" in our Constitution. She looked through the entire thing and couldn't find those words.
She couldn't find anything because the term "separation of church and state" doesn't exist in the United States Constitution. Our Constitution clearly states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." That is the First Article of the Constitution. It's saying that the government will not establish one religion for the country (like England had), and the government will not stop anyone from practicing the religion of their choosing.
Senior citizens aren't the only ones who don't quite get this concept. Teenagers are clearly misinformed in this area as well. I talked to a friend of mine about this subject. She said that this "law" says that the church should be out of what the government does. When asked where this "law" is found, she guessed the Declaration of Independence. Another friend of mine, who is fairly high in our class rank, said, "I'm not sure where it came from, or what it is even in."
During persuasive speeches last semester in English, a guy in my class did a speech on gay marriage. He talked about how people are resistant to this because of religious reasons. He argued that because of "separation of church and state," lawmakers should not consider religious arguments in their decision to make gay marriage legal. When I mentioned to a girl in the class that "separation of church and state" was not in our Constitution, she flatly told me I was ridiculous.
People take and use the term "separation of church and state" from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut. In the letter, he clearly states that he believes religion is between a man and his god. He also says that the American people's legislature should not make any laws regarding an establishing of a religion, of the practice of any religion, creating a wall of separation between church and state. He says that the government should be kept out of the church, not vice versa.
The reason that I'm pointing this out first is because I'm tired of people using false information to try to prevent me from saying "Merry Christmas" or even mentioning Christianity in my school.
But second and most important, next year, the presidential election will be here and many more teens, including me, will be able to vote. Be sure to know and research the facts yourself. You can't assume that the person giving you information knows what they are talking about.
