Government could than compose a prayer and instruct those same teachers to lead their little charges in utterance of that prayer, even though it may not correspond with their chosen religion's requirements. That wouldn't "establish" Islam as an official religion, so it must be okay.
Using a chosen holy book as a teaching aid for school lessons or observations wouldn't "establish" Sikhism as an official religion, so it must be okay.
Our nation could then require by law that all businesses be closed on a certain day so that there be no commerce conducted. That could be a Sunday, which might correspond to a certain religion's concept of a Sabbath. But a day of rest for toilers wouldn't be "establishing" Hinduism as an official religion, so it must be okay.
If we're going to designate one day a week for rest, we can also designate certain holidays and impose them where ever government power can reach. Where government power can't reach, the force of peer pressure or community standards can get others to observe the chosen holiday. Even if that holiday were something created by religion, such as Christmas, that one holiday would not "establish" Christianity as an official religion, so it must be okay.
Preventing disfavored religions to preach in public places ~ as Connecticut did to Jehovah Witnesses ~ doesn't "establish" Shintoism as an official religion, so it must be okay.
Outlawing the selling of items that offend some religious sensibilities, such as contraceptives ~ Connecticut, again ~ doesn't establish Voodoo as the official religion, so it must be okay.
Demanding the outlawing of certain acts or procedures where government doesn't have power to legislate and the preferred holy book doesn't address ~ such as abortion ~ doesn't "establish" Unitarianism as an official state religion, so it must be okay
Spending public money for religious events and observances wouldn't "establish" Scientology as the official religion, so it must be okay.
Placing religious monuments ~ such as one containing the 10 commandments ~ in public buildings or other public property wouldn't "establish" Catholicism as the official religion, so it must be okay.
Outlawing a certain ritual practiced by one religion ~ an animal sacrifice while commercial entities slaughter millions of the same animals, such as chickens, daily for profit ~ wouldn't "establish" a counter-belief as the official religion, so that must be okay.
In the end government didn't put an official state-approved religion into place with one act of Congress nor did state legislatures "establish a religion" as Henry VIII did by decree to bring into existence the Church of England.
And not one of those minor laws ~ all of which have existed in the United States ~ or actions along the way "established" a state religion, but the net result is the creation by government of a religion. It is not Judaism, or Islam. It is not Buddhism, Hinduism or Shintoism. It may appear to be a form of Christianity, but not one of the several sects that comprise Christianity. It isn't Catholicism or Episcopalian. It isn't Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist. It isn't Mormonism or Jehovah Witness and it isn't Scientology.
But it is a government-created religion that could be imposed on the population, mainly children, and continuous exposure to this hybrid religion could lead Americans away from their spiritual heritage just as surely as the Soviet Union used the state to suppress religions that weren't state approved.
This easily could have been the United States had not a succession of progressive judges struck down many of these incremental steps to "establish" a religion for America when they could have easily said none of these steps constituted an "establishing" of religion. That might have "established" a state-approved religion that evolved over a prolonged period of time, one step at a time, just what it seems Madison was trying to prevent.
So one word of the Constitution, totally misused and misunderstood by all, is that nail so wanted in a doomed kingdom.
***********************************
Using a chosen holy book as a teaching aid for school lessons or observations wouldn't "establish" Sikhism as an official religion, so it must be okay.
Our nation could then require by law that all businesses be closed on a certain day so that there be no commerce conducted. That could be a Sunday, which might correspond to a certain religion's concept of a Sabbath. But a day of rest for toilers wouldn't be "establishing" Hinduism as an official religion, so it must be okay.
If we're going to designate one day a week for rest, we can also designate certain holidays and impose them where ever government power can reach. Where government power can't reach, the force of peer pressure or community standards can get others to observe the chosen holiday. Even if that holiday were something created by religion, such as Christmas, that one holiday would not "establish" Christianity as an official religion, so it must be okay.
Outlawing the selling of items that offend some religious sensibilities, such as contraceptives ~ Connecticut, again ~ doesn't establish Voodoo as the official religion, so it must be okay.
Demanding the outlawing of certain acts or procedures where government doesn't have power to legislate and the preferred holy book doesn't address ~ such as abortion ~ doesn't "establish" Unitarianism as an official state religion, so it must be okay
Spending public money for religious events and observances wouldn't "establish" Scientology as the official religion, so it must be okay.
Placing religious monuments ~ such as one containing the 10 commandments ~ in public buildings or other public property wouldn't "establish" Catholicism as the official religion, so it must be okay.
Outlawing a certain ritual practiced by one religion ~ an animal sacrifice while commercial entities slaughter millions of the same animals, such as chickens, daily for profit ~ wouldn't "establish" a counter-belief as the official religion, so that must be okay.
In the end government didn't put an official state-approved religion into place with one act of Congress nor did state legislatures "establish a religion" as Henry VIII did by decree to bring into existence the Church of England.
And not one of those minor laws ~ all of which have existed in the United States ~ or actions along the way "established" a state religion, but the net result is the creation by government of a religion. It is not Judaism, or Islam. It is not Buddhism, Hinduism or Shintoism. It may appear to be a form of Christianity, but not one of the several sects that comprise Christianity. It isn't Catholicism or Episcopalian. It isn't Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist. It isn't Mormonism or Jehovah Witness and it isn't Scientology.
But it is a government-created religion that could be imposed on the population, mainly children, and continuous exposure to this hybrid religion could lead Americans away from their spiritual heritage just as surely as the Soviet Union used the state to suppress religions that weren't state approved.
This easily could have been the United States had not a succession of progressive judges struck down many of these incremental steps to "establish" a religion for America when they could have easily said none of these steps constituted an "establishing" of religion. That might have "established" a state-approved religion that evolved over a prolonged period of time, one step at a time, just what it seems Madison was trying to prevent.
So one word of the Constitution, totally misused and misunderstood by all, is that nail so wanted in a doomed kingdom.
***********************************
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