It was September 11, 1777, and the United States Congress had a problem.  Due to the interruption of trade with England as a result of the Revolutionary War, the United States of America was experiencing a shortage of …Bibles.  Congress moved swiftly into action.  They considered it such a grave concern that they handed the matter over to a special Congressional Committee.  This Congressional committee’s report stated:

“The use of the Bible is so universal and its importance so great that your committee refers the above to the consideration of Congress, and if Congress shall not think it expedient to order the importation of types and paper, the Committee recommends that Congress will order the Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 Bibles from Holland, Scotland, or elsewhere, into the different parts of the States of the Union.
Whereupon it was resolved accordingly to direct said Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 copies of the Bible.”

Keep in mind that this is the same Congress who would later adopt the wording of the First Amendment:

“Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion or preventing the free exercise thereof…”

Apparently, Congress didn’t see the ordering of 20,000 Bibles to be distributed throughout the United States as a violation of the principle stated above.  Interesting.  
Where exactly were these Bibles going to go anyway?  Perhaps a second incident can provide us a clue.  On September 10, 1782, Congress once again found itself facing a shortage of Bibles for the States.  This time, instead of purchasing them from an outside source, Congress granted approval to print “a neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools.”  Schools?  Schools.  The printing was contracted to Robert Aitken of Philadelphia, a bookseller and the publisher of The Pennsylvania Magazine.  This edition has come to be known as the Bible of the Revolution.  Emblazoned on its front page is the following endorsement by Congress:
“Whereupon, Resolved, That the United States in Congress assembled…recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize [Robert Aitken] to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper.”

Funny how time can seem to erase the memory of a nation.   Funny also how, today, the display of the Ten Commandments in schools and in courthouses is being ruled as unconstitutional by the courts, but it was okay, then, for Congress to order thousands of Bibles for distribution throughout the States for use in their schools and to “recommend” them to its citizens.  Such revelations could cause one to slightly distrust today’s courts’ interpretation of the First Amendment and their application of the so-called “separation clause”.  Indeed, such history makes me wonder whether lawmakers and judges of today have any idea at all of the Founding Fathers’ original intent and the origin of the phrase “separation of church and state.”

This little phrase is important to a right understanding of the issue as it has become the “catch-phrase” for more than 6,000 challenges to the constitutionality of religious displays and observances just in the last 40 years.  Six thousand!  Do you know how many times this little phrase appeared in a case before the Supreme Court in America’s first 150 years?  Two.  Something shady is going on in this country.
The phrase “separation of church and state” is rightly associated with Thomas Jefferson and, as we will discuss in more detail next time, was given in a private letter.  The error comes in linking him and this phrase to the First Amendment.   As was mentioned in my first article, the wording of the First Amendment was proposed by Fisher Ames on August 20, 1789.   The Congressional Records from June 7 to September 25, 1789 reveal the complete discussions of Congress on the wording of the First Amendment.  Interestingly enough, not only do the Constitution and the First Amendment lack the phrase “separation of church and state”, even the official discussions regarding their creation, lack its use!  And equally as interesting as what was absent from the official discussions of the founders on the First Amendment, is who was absent - namely, Thomas Jefferson! 

That’s right.  Thomas Jefferson, the man so often quoted today as the leading authority on the Constitution and more specifically the First Amendment, was not even among the fifty-five founders at the Constitutional Convention and was not among the ninety Congressmen who framed the First Amendment!  During the discussions on the First Amendment, Thomas Jefferson was overseas serving as an ambassador in France.   And yet, today, by the courts, by the media, and by revisionist historians, he has been made the sole spokesman and prime authority for the First Amendment’s intent.
Next month, we’ll show that Thomas Jefferson and his phrase have been taken completely out of context.  For now, keep in mind that the “separation” phrase, as stated previously, is found nowhere in the Constitution, nowhere in the First Amendment, and nowhere in any founding document and yet is touted today as a matter of public policy and has been responsible for the removal of countless religious freedoms.  And Thomas Jefferson, though a great Founding Father and American, was not even present during the drafting of the Constitution or the First Amendment.

Why, then, is Thomas Jefferson’s statement in a private letter taken out of context and held up as the basis for over 6,000 court cases challenging religious freedoms?  Since when have statements in private letters become the basis for the establishment of United States public policy and for the setting of judicial precedent?
Why not quote Fisher Ames, the man who proposed the wording of the First Amendment?  He said nothing about “separation of church and state”.  He did say:

“Why…should not the Bible regain the place it once held as a school book?  Its morals are pure, its examples captivating and noble.  The reverence for the sacred book that is thus early impressed lasts long; and , probably, if not impressed in infancy, never takes a firm hold of the mind.”

Why not quote George Washington, the president of the convention which framed the Constitution?  He said nothing about “separation of church and state”.  He did say:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.  In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars…”

Why not quote Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania, the man who physically wrote the Constitution and the most active member of the Constitutional Convention (speaking 173 times on the floor)?  He said nothing about “separation of church and state”.  He did say:

“Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man towards God.”

And, finally, doesn’t it seem a bit strange that the Founding Fathers would pass an amendment (supposedly) banning all religious displays, all religious references in public documents, and any reference to religion, prayer, or the Bible in schools; and then, the next day, send their children to a little one-room schoolhouse where the primary textbook was….the Bible?  A Bible, ironically, supplied by their Congressional order.

Strange indeed.