#separation-of-church-and-state

"Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law."

"Those who would renegotiate the boundaries between church and state must therefore answer a difficult question: why would we trade a system that has served us so well for one that has served others so poorly?"

"The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries.[Letter objecting to the use of government land for churches, 1803]"

"When the government puts its imprimatur on a particular religion it conveys a message of exclusion to all those who do not adhere to the favored beliefs. A government cannot be premised on the belief that all persons are created equal when it asserts that God prefers some."

"Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so."

"How dismal it is to see present day Americans yearning for the very orthodoxy that their country was founded to escape."

"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be one nation gone under."

"One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests."

"The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."