Don't let anyone get away with this misconception again. Thomas Jefferson did NOT mean that the church will have no influence in government. He meant that the government will have no control over the affairs of the church. We got it completely backward.
Welcome to Politics by Faith, brought to you by the Patriot Gold Group. Thanks for being here. So Louisiana just passed a law that says the Ten Commandments have to be posted in every single classroom in the state, including in colleges. And we'll have to just freak it out. So we did a segment on this on Breitbart News Daily.
I just want to present the whole segment to you here and please arm yourself with these facts and never let anyone, anyone ever get away with saying that separation of church and state was meant or intended to clear all Christian influence out of public life and even out of government life. That is so absurd and I'll hopefully fully and thoroughly debunk it right here. The very short of it. Separation of church and state. It was not meant to keep the church out of government. It was meant to keep the government out of church. Here's the full story about the separation
0:01:05
of church and state. I want to start off this hour with this though, Louisiana, first state country to mandate that the Ten Commandments be placed in every school classroom. Like it used to be. But I guess it was never mandated in the past. We just did it. Everyone just did it because we were a Christian nation.
0:01:33
Just as we were founded on. So here's what it says in Louisiana. A poster-sized display of the Ten Commandments in large easily readable font that's good you got to put the easy you know someone can like put it in Wingdings like there it is it's just in Wingdings easily readable comic sans in all public classrooms from kindergarten to state-funded universities this is
0:02:00
great so it's going to be sued into oblivion, of course. And the governor said, I can't wait to be sued. The posters, which will be paired with a four-paragraph context statement describing how the Ten Commandments were a prominent part of American public education for almost three centuries, must be placed in classrooms by the start of 2025. The posters can't be paid for with state funds.
0:02:23
So they're getting around one of the one of the arguments is gonna be made so I can only be paid for by donations so what what does each poster cost four dollars maybe like should be like 50 cents but knowing it's the government I'll chip in four bucks for for a poster the law also authorizes but does not require the display of other items in K through 12 schools including the Mayflower Compact, which was signed by the Pilgrims,
0:02:53
the Board of the Mayflower, often referred to as America's first constitution. That'd be fun to go over. We should talk about that one. The Declaration of Independence, Northwest Ordinance, which established a government in the Northwest Territory
0:03:03
in present-day Midwest, and created a pathway for admitting new states to the Union. So the court decided this issue back in 1980. And it was in Kentucky. The school was in Kentucky, it was a 5-4 decision that the Ten Commandments served no secular purpose and was only a religious resource and therefore
0:03:27
constituted a law respecting an establishment of religion. And it's high time we revisit that absurd decision, just like we've revisited many Supreme Court decisions over time. We're now at the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education so that's that's great so we can we can revisit Supreme Court decisions. They're not etched in stone. See what I did there? Zach that was a that was a Ten That's good.
0:03:59
I just want to make sure you caught it.
0:04:03
Are you not on our Raw Dog Comedy Channel? Take that, cut that, put that over on Raw Dog Comedy. Hey, you think this is funny? Check out Breitbart News Daily. Comedy like this. So listen, of course this is good.
0:04:27
If you, and of course this is nothing to freak out about, that's the other thing, if you walk into the House of Representatives, there are 23 marble reliefs of different figures all around the room of different people related to the development of law. And the first one, right over the door when you walk in, so you walk in, if you ever walk into the house of representatives chamber and look up look right behind you There's a relief of the main guy Moses
0:04:58
There he is that's the guy right there in the halls of Congress So obviously I'm for this and let me tell you why first about it's a first of all It's about high time that Christians go on the offense and stop being fooled into silence, stop being hoodwinked by this separation of church and state nonsense which everyone has backwards, I'll explain in just a minute. But Christians walked away from the public arena. We removed our religion and it was immediately replaced with many other pagan religions.
0:05:35
What do I mean pagan religions? I don't know exhibit a we're currently in the middle of pride month There's a pagan religion right there. You don't think that's a religion of course. It's a religion. We left they filled it in I'm against this law I'm against this law Because it doesn't also require the beatitudes be placed in every single classroom doesn't go nearly far enough. Ten Commandments, good start.
0:06:07
And don't come at me with this hypothetical, well, Slater, what if Buddhists want their dumb Buddha sayings on the wall? We don't live in a Buddhist nation. If the founders were Buddhist, then we could talk. If we were founded as a Buddhist nation, we'll have a
0:06:30
conversation. If we were living in Sri Lanka, then yes, I would expect a statue of a fat guy in every classroom. All right? But we don't. So that's a stupid hypothetical. What if the Buddhists? Now we got to let the Buddhists. No, you don't. Well, now you got to let the Satanists. No, you don't. You don't have to now do that.
0:06:50
Here's what the poster says. So hide your children.
0:06:52
Hide your children. I'm going to quote the Ten Commandments here.
0:06:54
Just so you know. Just so you know exactly what's in every... You know what we're talking about here, right?
0:06:57
You just hear...
0:06:58
So that the media, they don't tell you things.
0:07:00
They don't tell you the things. I've read all these articles and none of the articles have a link to what is actually put up on the wall. Right? They don't have any context. They don't have any story, they don't tell you the thing that you need to know. But hide your kids, I'm going to read the text. By the way, I saw a video of a mom, a cool mom, with maybe her, probably Johnny's,
0:07:30
probably four years old, old enough to know what he's doing, but young enough that they still think it's cute. And they were singing the Please Please Please song. Producer Zach, I know you're a big pop star. I got, who sings Please Please Please?
0:07:44
I'll have to look it up.
0:07:45
Sabrina Carpenter. There you go, Sabrina Carpenter. And that's like the big pop song right now. And the kids dropping F-bombs. And everyone thinks it's hilarious. So, that's great.
0:07:57
But come at someone with, come at that same person with the Ten Commandments and they're like whoa, whoa vulgar vulgar I got children in the car. All right The text shall read as follows the Ten Commandments I am the Lord thy God Thou shalt have no other gods before me thou shalt not make to thyself any graven images Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain
0:08:20
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor
0:08:48
his cattle, nor anything that is thy neighbors.
0:08:51
There you go.
0:08:52
It's got to be in every classroom in Louisiana. All right, I got, which by the way, that used to be in every classroom in America not that
0:08:58
long ago.
0:08:59
All right, I got two arguments. I was watching a debate the other day between Michael Knowles, who I like a lot, big fan of Michael Knowles, big Michael Knowles fan. I appreciate him very much. And there was a debate between him and this famous British atheist guy who I guess is becoming more and more popular. His name is Alex O'Connor.
0:09:23
I think. Yes, Alex O'Connor. Alright, so it's Michael Knowles and Alex O'Connor. And the question was, is America a Christian nation? Or was America founded as a Christian nation or something and this atheist guy brought up Thomas Jefferson and his separation of church and state and Michael Knowles who I love missed it totally missed it and I I don't make
0:09:52
this argument really much anymore because I think everyone's sick of hearing it but apparently we need to keep making it because I guess not everyone knows it. So I'm going to do it in full here. And I'm going to read it in full because we're adults. And it's serious exam and there's no commercials really. So we have plenty of time.
0:10:16
But I don't want to insult you. I think the media is insulting. Every time I read some article about how, oh you know, to make your reels more successful, they need to be quicker and faster. And it's like, particularly adult people can think, we can like read a thing and, no, no, cut to the chase. All right, so here's the back.
0:10:43
This is the story of separation of church and state. All right, everyone's got it backwards. Here's the story. There's a letter written by the Danbury, Connecticut Baptist Association. They were a religious sect that was persecuted by the Congregationalists at the time. They were the Puritans, basically. That were the majority in Connecticut. So Connecticut, the majority of people there
0:11:04
were Puritans. Yale was a Congregationalist seminary in 1701. So this is a Congregationalist state, Connecticut. But you got these Baptists who are there and the Baptists are like, hey, we were being persecuted here by our fellow Connecticutians. And so they wrote a letter, the Danbury Baptists wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson, the new president, got this new president in here and these Baptists were worried that Thomas Jefferson, who's now in charge of the federal government was
0:11:42
going to impose religious laws and mandates on them or I should say laws and mandates on their religion they were worried that Thomas Jefferson was gonna come down and crack down on them well now we got it coming from all sides we got it coming from everyone here in Connecticut and now we're gonna get it in Washington as well. So they wrote a letter. They're very worried. They didn't want the state imposing on their religion. So here's the letter. I'll quote it in full. Dear sir,
0:12:13
among the many millions in America and Europe who rejoice in your election to office, that's a lot of a lot of this stuff in the beginning, but it's good. We embrace the first opportunity which we have enjoyed in our collective capacity since your inauguration to express our great satisfaction in your appointment to the Chief Magistrate of the United States. And though our mode of expression may be less courtly and pompous than what many others clothe their addresses with, we beg you, sir, to believe that none are more sincere.
0:12:45
Our sentiments are uniformly on the side of religious liberty, that religion is at all times the place and matter between God and individuals. That no man ought to suffer a name, person, or effects on account of his religious opinions. That the legitimate power of civil government extends no further than to punish the man who works ill to his neighbor. So we are... so by the way, they're not saying... the Danbury Baptists are not saying, there should be no religion. They're saying like, leave us alone.
0:13:17
We just want to be left alone. So we are sensible that the president of the United States is not a national legislator. And also sensible that the national government cannot destroy the laws of each state. We'll get to that in a minute.
0:13:30
But our hopes are strong that the sentiments of our beloved president, which have had such great, I have such genial effect already, like the radiant beams of the sun, will shine and prevail through all these states and all the world, till hierarchy and tyranny be destroyed from the earth. Sir, when we reflect on your past services and see a glow of philanthropy
0:13:51
and goodwill shining forth in the course of more than thirty years, we have reason to believe that America's God has raised you up to fill the chair of state out of that good which he bears to the millions which you preside over. May God strengthen you for the arduous task which providence and the voice of the people have called you to sustain and support you in your administration against all predetermined opposition of those who wish to rise in wealth and importance on the poverty and subjugation of the people.
0:14:18
And may the Lord preserve you safe from every evil and shall bring you at last to his heavenly kingdom through Jesus Christ our glorious mediator. Danbury Baptist. There you go. So they're saying, listen, don't impose any religious mandates on us, please. Don't make any laws mandating us. Religion should be between God and an individual. No, we don't want any national laws telling us what to do. Please don't get involved in the affairs of our religion. That's the letter.
0:14:52
And here's what Thomas Jefferson said. Gentlemen, the affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you're so good as to express towards me on behalf of the Danbury Baptist Association gives me the highest satisfaction. My duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interest of my constituents and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those
0:15:16
duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing. Happy to be your President. Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions. I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared
0:15:42
that their legislature, the Congress, shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation, the Constitution, in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights.
0:16:11
Convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties, I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and Creator of man, and tender you for yourself and your religious association assurances of my high respect and esteem Thomas Jefferson. You with me? This is the Danbury Baptist saying, hey new president please don't impose on us any laws that interfere with our religion and this is Thomas Jefferson saying, hey Baptist in Connecticut don't worry about it. I will not get involved in the affairs of
0:16:44
your church in any way at all. You do your thing. There's a wall of separation between me and you. There's a wall of separation between me and you. There's a wall of separation between me, the federal government, and you, the individual and the organization. Don't worry about you being able to practice your religion. The Constitution says that the Congress shall make no law
0:17:03
creating a national religion for everyone to adhere to. Congress shall make no law establishing a religion. So don't worry about it. We're not going to tell you what you need to do in your church. You're free to practice however you wish. So don't worry about me. There's a wall separating the federal government from you. Got it? What was this exchange not? This exchange was not some atheist association saying,
0:17:39
Hey, Thomas Jefferson, make sure no Christians ever have anything to do with government at all in any way. And it was not Thomas Jefferson responding, You're right, we should have no religion in any government thing in any way whatsoever. That's not what it was. Separation of church and state means that, Excuse me, let me say it like this.
0:18:01
It has come to mean, people have misinterpreted, it has been spun backwards to mean, that the church should have nothing to do with the government. But Thomas Jefferson was promising that the state will have nothing to do with the affairs of the church. I'll say it again. 99% of people think that separates the church and state means that the church, that Christians,
0:18:27
Christians should have nothing to do with government. There should be no Christian displays in public spheres or, you know, no Ten Commandments in the classroom. That the church, that Christians should have nothing to do with government. But Thomas Jefferson was saying that to the church, don't worry, the government will have nothing to do with the affairs of you. You're free to do what you want to do how you want to do it
0:18:51
the congress shall make no law saying you can't you see the switcheroo it's an old switcheroo totally backwards and if thomas jefferson came back for ten seconds that would be my first question i'm like thomas jefferson what do you mean by separation of church and make it clear
0:19:09
he's like i already made it clear read the letter And if you need any more evidence than the actual text I just read, by the way, 99% of people think separation of church and state is in the Constitution or in the Declaration. It's not. It's that letter. It's just that one letter he wrote, which with the context couldn't be more clear.
0:19:33
But if you need any more evidence than what I just read, when the first, so the claim is that the government should have nothing to do with religion or that the religion should When the First Amendment was ratified, each colony or state at this point had their own official religion. So the issue wasn't that states shouldn't have their own official religion or that there shouldn't be an official religion. It was that the federal government can't come up with their own official religion and impose
0:20:09
that on all the states. Because the Anglicans in Virginia, that was the official religion in Virginia at the time, the Anglicans in Virginia didn't want the Puritans in Massachusetts to mandate that we're all Puritans now, sorry Anglicans we're a puritan country this is the official religion we're now the the congregationalist country and the Anglicans are like well hold on Virginia is an Anglican state you can't you
0:20:37
federal government that we all created you can't come in here and tell us what religion we have to do have to be see the difference there were already established churches official state religions in every state at the exact passing of our First Amendment. And notice there were no Hindu states. There were no Muslim states. So we can do this all day. I just picked a few of them. This is the Virginia Declaration of Rights, 1776, written by George Mason. All men are
0:21:09
equally entitled to the free exercise of religion according to the dictates of conscience, and that it is a mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other. So even in the Declaration of Rights, like, hey, you guys can do whatever you want, and obviously we're all going to be Christians. People are like, hey, you know, it's not all about you and you Christians. Look, they say you can do whatever you want to get they were all Christian we're no buddhists here
0:21:42
so virginia was an anglican state the official state religion like we are in angla it wasn't like oh just a majority of the more anglican none of the official state religion was we are anglican so was new york massachusetts is congregationalist this is chapter 6 article one of their state constitution any person chosen governor the ten governor senate representative and accepting the trust,
0:22:03
shall before he proceed to execute the duties of his or her office, of his place or office, make and subscribe the following declaration." All right, so here's what you gotta do. You want to be, you want to be governor of Massachusetts, here's what you gotta say. I, insert name here, do hereby, excuse me, do declare that I believe the Christian religion... That's in the Massachusetts Constitution from 1780.
0:22:28
So you have to vow. So hold on. If these same people who passed the First Amendment were supposed to believe that, oh, no religion in anything at all related to government, those exact same people passed the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780 and their oath of office was I, insert name here, do declare that I believe the Christian religion, those same people did both those things?
0:22:51
You with me? The same people who wrote the Massachusetts Constitution and also ratified the federal government first amendment? You think they meant, oh, we really meant no religion in government. Delaware had no official religion. Aha! No official religion. All right, well, Well, here's the Delaware State Constitution 1776, Article 22. Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house or appointed to any place or office of trust shall take the following oath.
0:23:20
You thought the Massachusetts one was tough. I, insert name here, do profess faith in God the Father and in Jesus Christ his only Son and in the Holy Ghost, one God, blessed forevermore. This is the state that had no official religion. This was your oath of office I profess faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ his only Son and in the Holy Ghost one God bless it forever more
0:23:44
and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old Testament and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration that's the opening oath of office if you want to hold any office any public office in Delaware in 1776 and beyond but that but that what they really meant was no religion in politics. That's what they really meant. What are you kidding me?
0:24:08
Like this debate, was America founded as a Christian nation? Like, okay. Like, what are you talking about? How could you possibly say no? All right, let me say this. Here are some opinions you can have.
0:24:24
Oh, wait, so you can't tell me what to think. Okay, here's some opinions that you can have. You can say, I wish we weren't founded as a Christian nation. I wish we weren't. Okay, you can have that opinion. You can have the opinion, it was bad that we were founded as a Christian nation. Okay? You can think that, you're wrong, but you can think that. I disagree, but you can think that. You can think it was bad. You can say, we shouldn't be a Christian nation today.
0:25:08
Okay? I'll debate that. But to have this debate, were we founded as a Christian nation? Yes, of course. What are you talking about? Now you can even say, it's irrelevant that we were founded as a Christian nation. But you can't really, because the justification that people are using to not hang the Ten Commandments
0:25:32
is the First Amendment. They'll say, oh, the First Amendment says you can't hang the Ten Commandments. Okay, let's talk about the guys who wrote the first amendment. Because look at all these other state constitutions they passed that require you to profess faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ before you become lieutenant governor. Yeah, but they really wanted a separation. Connecticut
0:26:00
was a congregational state as you said New Hampshire's New Hampshire the student have New Hampshire Constitution 1784 Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience and reason because you're free To do whatever you want Nevertheless no person shall be capable of being elected a senator who is not of the Protestant religion But they were really against they wanted a separation. The same people from New Hampshire who thought that we should have no religion in government
0:26:31
and you need to be a Protestant in order to be in the state senate. You see how ridiculous that is? For people to think that we weren't a Christian country. This is a good one, this is South Carolina. This is the state constitution that ratified 1778. There is one eternal God and a future state of rewards and punishment. God is publicly to be
0:26:52
worshipped. The Christian religion is the true religion. That the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are divine inspiration and are the rule of faith and practice. And that it is lawful and the duty of every man being there unto called by those that govern to bear witness to that truth. Oh yeah, but we weren't we weren't a Christian nation. Even though it says in the South Carolina state constitution of 1778 that the Christian
0:27:19
religion is the one true religion and that God is to be publicly worshipped. But they didn't want any public worship. Look here's Thomas Jefferson. And the argument that I heard, and I don't want to put this guy on blast anymore, but the argument that I heard from this conservative, who I love, was, oh well that was just one guy. Or Thomas Jefferson wasn't the majority opinion.
0:27:42
Or we as a country didn't go that way. It's like, no, no, no. That's not what Thomas Jefferson meant. Theopsy meant exactly what all these other guys were saying. Let me do one more. Pennsylvania.
0:27:51
So people will often quote this last line. So this last line in this section of the Pennsylvania state constitution says, they were Quaker, of course, and no further or other religious test shall ever hereafter be required of any civil officer or magistrate in the state. So there's Pennsylvania saying no religious tests.
0:28:17
But they leave out the line before it. Section 10 Each representative, before they proceed to business, shall take the following oath. I do believe in one God, the Creator and Governor of the universe, the Rewarder of the good and Punisher of the wicked, and I do acknowledge the scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration." You have to make that oath and then no
0:28:42
further or other religious test shall ever be hereafter required. But except for that first one, that the Old and New Testaments are written by the Holy Spirit of divine inspiration. All right so that's enough. Knock it off with the are we a Christian nation or not. We were a million percent founded as one. Nothing could be more obvious. We of course have since lost our way and obviously we're under God's judgment now. There's plenty examples of that. Just go to your nearest college
0:29:16
campus and ask someone what a woman is. They won't even be able to tell you. There's a thousand other examples of how we've lost our way. You can think this is all bad. I wish this weren't the case. We shouldn't be like this anymore. Okay. You can think of those things. But this ridiculous, are we a Christian nation? Of nation. Of course we were and I would argue that the only way back to being a thriving country again is with a revival. Our founding fathers came out of the
0:29:47
Great Awakening, the first Great Awakening in this country. The second Great Awakening led to the end of slavery. We need a third and pronto. So is putting the Ten Commandments in every classroom against the Constitution? No, of course not. Is putting the Ten Commandments in every classroom going to fix all of our problems? No. Pretty good start.
0:30:17
We played the clip of Rosie O'Donnell earlier, talking about her transgender ten-year-old, who told her, said, Mommy, gender is infinite. And Rosie O'Donnell's like, where'd you learn that? And the 10 year old said, I just know it. Where do you think she learned it? She learned it in school.
0:30:34
So pick your religion.
0:30:35
You may wanna do this like,
0:30:37
namsy-pamsy, middle of the road,
like, oh, you know, I'm Christian or whatever, but maybe I don't want religion in the classroom. All right, pick one. There is one. There are religions in the classroom. So pick your religion. Do you want the trans gay pride flag in every classroom? Or do you want the Ten Commandments? Pick one. Which way, Western man? Pick one. Because we took the Ten Commandments
and it wasn't replaced with nothing if we're not a Christian nation what are we don't say nothing gotta be something you better pick one you don't pay his will you don't pay his will payments
