For an election that was supposed to be all about the economy, we're spending a lot of time on the role religion should play in public life.
Thanks to some unfortunate remarks from a couple of the presidential candidates, we now know they believe the constitutional wall of separation between church and state is more like a hedge, an open gate, or worse, a fenceless backyard. Thomas Jefferson didn't mince words when he called it a "wall of separation." That's why the ACLU Liberty Watch 2012 campaign just released a new candidate report card on religious freedom issues, including government funding of religion, teaching creationism in public schools and school-sponsored prayer. Its findings suggest the First Amendment's wall might turn into rubble if many of the candidates had their way. |