The second issue is one that the ACLU has been intimately involved in over the years which is the separation-of-church-and-state debate. Of course the ACLU's position is that religion should never cross over into or influence matters of the state, a position I agree with. But what most people in America think when they read about the latest ACLU case is that they are stifling religious belief and worship and in a country as saturated, even obsessed, with religion as America is it is no surprise that the ACLU does not have mobs of fans knocking down their doors to join.
Nothing could be further from the truth about their mission; quite to the contrary the ACLU through its efforts is protecting religious freedom. But it is misguided communications such as the email my friend sent me that spread the wrong message and influence public perception and unfortunately for the ACLU perception is reality.
Now, the author of this email, not my friend mind you, is clearly a member of the "connection-of-church-and-state crowd. Unfortunately, he is also less then a stellar logistician as he makes a blatant reasoning error in his conclusion. He assumes that because the state legislators choose to include a divine reference in their preambles that they were somehow endorsing state sanctioned religion. I concluded this because the author attacks the ACLU and our federal courts and they're common position on this issue has been to defend the separation of church and state clause in our constitution. What the author doesn't understand is that in so doing they are again defending all American's rights to worship as they wish and not have another's beliefs imposed on them.
Quite to the contrary of the author's assumption, the writing of each state's preamble and constitution was an endorsement not of religion but of statehood and subsequently the federal constitution which included an abolition of state sanctioned religion. The first amendment (written on December 19, 1791 " before most of the preambles were drafted) clearly states:
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