Judicial Issues:

"Whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends manifestly to the dissolution of civil government…because it tends to corrupt the morals of the people, and to destroy good order." (People v. Ruggles. 1811)

"If a State refused to let religious groups use facilities open to others, then it would demonstrate not neutrality but hostility toward religion." (Justice Sandra Day O'Connor)

"The Supreme Court has said that America is a Christian nation. But to make such a statement today causes reporters, newsmen, and many politicians to go ballistic." (p. 75. Character & Destiny. Ibid.)

"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. It is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest, of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." (John Jay. The first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. 1816.)

"Through their judicial decisions , black-robed judges have put religion in serious trouble in the land of the free." (p. 49. The New Absolutes. Ibid.)

"We should not deny what is true: that from the Judeo-Christian tradition come our values, our principles, the animating spirit of our institutions." (Supreme Court. Aguilar v. Felton. 1985.)

"Under the First Amendment's prohibition of the establishment of religion, the Court has steadily made religion a matter for the private individual by driving it out of the public arena." (p. 102. Slouching Toward Gomorrah. Robert H. Bork. 1996.)

"The American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations are using the courts and threats of litigation to cleanse all Christian religious expression from American public life." (p. 146. Whitehead. Ibid.)

"But the greatest injury of the 'wall' notion is its mischievous diversion of judges from the actual intentions of the drafters of the Bill of Rights…The 'wall of separation between church and State' is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned." (Justice William Rehnquist. Wallace v. Jaffree; 472 U.S. 38, 107 (1984) Dissenting.)

"To support its conclusion that 'this is a religious people…this is a Christian nation,' the Court paraded a veritable litany of precedents from American history: taken from Church of the Holy Trinity v. U.S.; 143 U.S. 457-458 (1892)."

"Christianity…is not to be maliciously and openly reviled and blasphemed against to the annoyance of believers or the injury of the public." (Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story. Vidal v. Girard's Executors. 43 U.S. 126, 198. 1844.)

"The Court attacked the long-standing tradition of school prayer and struck down this simple 22-word prayer from New York schools: 'Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our Country.'" ( Engel v. Vitale; 370 U.S. 421, 422. 1962.)

"The Court failed to cite even a single precedent to justify its prohibition of New York's voluntary prayers – a significant departure from a bedrock rule of jurisprudence. Why did it fail to cite precedent cases? There were none which would support its decision. For 170 years following the ratification of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, no Court had ever struck down any prayer, in any form, in any location." (David Barton. Original Intent. p. 159)

"I think that to deny the wish of these school children to join in reciting this prayer is to deny them the opportunity of sharing in the spiritual heritage of our Nation." (Justice Stewart. Engel at 445. Dissenting.)

"A refusal to permit religious exercises thus is seen, not as the realization of state neutrality, but rather as the establishment of a religion of secularism ." (Justice Stewart. Abington at 312-313. Dissenting.)

"The Establishment Clause does not require that the public sector be insulated from all things which may have a religious significance or origin…One can hardly respect the system of education that would leave the student wholly ignorant of the currents of religious thought that move the world society for a part in which he is being prepared." (Justice Rehnquist. Stone at 45, 46. Dissenting.)

"There is simply no historical foundation for the proposition that the Framers intended to build the 'wall of separation' that was constitutionalized in Everson." (Justice William Rehnquist. Wallace v. Jaffree (1985) at 106-107, 112. Dissenting.)

"History must judge whether it was the Father of his Country in 1789, or a majority of the Court today, which has strayed from the meaning of the Establishment Clause." (Justice Rehnquist. Wallace at 113-114. Dissenting.)

"The creche…is no more an advancement or endorsement of religion than the congressional and executive recognition of the origins of Christmas…To forbid the use of this one passive symbol…would be an overreaction contrary to this Nation's history." ( Lynch v. Donnelly at 669-670.)

"This Court is ill-equipped to sit as a national theology board, and I question both the wisdom and the constitutionality of its doing so." (Justice Kennedy. County of Allegheny at 547-548, 550.)

"The longstanding American tradition of prayer at official ceremonies displays with unmistakable clarity that the Establishment Clause does not forbid the government to accommodate it…It is a bold step for this Court to seek to banish…the expression of gratitude to God that a majority of the community wishes to make." ( Lee at 518. Justice Scalia. Dissenting.)

"The Constitution as the Supreme Court views it does not permit (prayer). Unfortunately, in this instance there is no middle ground…Those who are anti-prayer have thus been deemed the victors." (District Judge. Lee v. Weisman. 728 F. Supp. 68, 75. D.C. RI 1990.)

"The morality of the country is deeply engrafted upon Christianity." (People v. Ruggles. 1811.) p. 325

"Whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends manifestly to the dissolution of civil government." (People v. Ruggles. 1811.)

"Christianity has reference to the principles of right and wrong…it is the foundation of those morals and manners upon which our society is formed." (Charleston v. Benjamin. 1846.) p. 325

"What constitutes the standard of good morals? Is it not Christianity? There certain is none other." (Charleston v. Benjamin. 1846.)

"In this age there can be no substitute for Christianity; that, in its general principles, is the great conservative element on which we must rely for the purity and permanence of free institutions." (House Judiciary Committee. 1854.)

"The great vital and conservative element in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ." (U.S. House of Representatives. 1854.)

"In 1963 with Abington v Schempp, The Court said that reading portions of the New Testament could be 'psychologically harmful' to the children." (Legislating Morality. Ibid. p. 88)

"At the time of the adoption of the Constitution and the amendments, the universal sentiment was that Christianity should be encouraged, not any one sect." (House Judiciary report on March 27, 1854.)

"In this age there can be no substitute for Christianity: that, in its general principals, is the great conservative element on which we must rely for the purity and permanence of free institutions. That was the religion of the founders of the republic, and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants." (Meacham. Report to the House Committee on the Judiciary. March 27, 1854.)

"Government policies of accommodation, acknowledgment, and support for religion are an accepted part of our political and cultural heritage." (County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union, 109 S. Ct. 3086, 3135 (1989) Kennedy, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part).

"These, and many other matters which might be noticed add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation." (The Supreme Court. 143 U.S. 470-471. 1892.)

"Religious institutions and orientations are central to human experience, past and present. An education excluding such a significant aspect would be incomplete. It is essential that the teaching about and not of religion be conducted in a factual, objective and respectful manner." ( Florey v. Sioux Falls School District 49-5, 619 F.2d 1320. (8th Cir.), 1980.)

"As it pertains to religious literature within the public school system, the United States Supreme Court declared that the 'study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as a part of a secular program of education,' is consistent with the First Amendment." ( Abington Township, 374 U.S. at 225.)

"If a teacher prohibited the student from giving the report simply because the content of the report was religious, this would be a violation of the student's free speech and free exercise rights." (See: DeNooyer v. Livonia Public Schools, 799 F. Supp. 744 (E.D. Mich.) 1992.)

"A court ruled that a rotunda in a state capitol was a limited or designated public forum if expressive activities such as political, religious, or other varieties of symbolic speech had been permitted in the past." (Chadbad-Lubavitch of Georgia v. Miller , 5 F.3d 1383. 11th Cir. 1993.)

"By our form of Government, the Christian religion is the established religion; and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed on the same equal footing, and are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty." (U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase. 1799. Runkel v. Winsmiller.)

"Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise, and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian." (Justice Josiah Brewer. United States Supreme Court, Feb. 29, 1892. Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States.)

"According to Reynolds v. United States (1879), religious dissenters must conform, even if doing so violates their religious beliefs, or suffer the consequences." (Stephen Monsma. Positive Neutrality. p. 19)

"A refusal to permit religious exercises thus is seen, not as the realization of state neutrality, but rather as the establishment of a religion of secularism." (Justice Potter Steward. 1963 dissenting opinion. Abington School Distrcit v. Schempp . 374 U.S. at 313.)

"I would suggest that such practices as the designation of 'In God We Trust' as our national motto, or the references to God contained in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag can best be understood…as a form of 'ceremonial deism'…they have lost through rote repetition any significant religious content…Their message is dominantly secular." (Justice Brennan. Lynch v. Donnelly , 465 U.S. at 716-717. 1984.)

"Our (American) civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian." (The Supreme Court. 1892. Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States . 143 U.S. at 471. 1892.)

"No significant segment of our society and no institution within it can exist in a vacuum or in total or absolute isolation from all the other parts, much less from government. Nor does the Constitution require complete separation of church and state; it affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility toward any." (Chief Justice Warren Burger. Lemon v. Kurtzman.)

"In this country, church and state must necessarily operate within the same community. Because of this co-existence, it is inevitable that the secular interests of Government and the religious interests of various sects and their adherents will frequently intersect, conflict, and combine." (U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra O'Connor. 1985. Wallace v Jaffree .)

"When Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun wrote Roe v. Wade he appealed to religion. However, he said, 'If I were to appeal to religion, I would appeal to the religions of Rome and Greece' – which, of course, practiced and encouraged abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, suicide, and all of the rest, including the Colosseum! He would appeal to pagan religion for support of Roe v. Wade! We are reverting, in the Western world, to heathen paganism, and most people don't even know that it is happening! (Dr. D. James Kennedy. What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? p. 27)

"In the Trinity Decision of 1892, the Supreme Court examined literally thousands of documents that had anything to do with the founding of this country – every state constitution, all of the compacts that led up to 1776, all of the various decisions of the courts; and they concluded that 'this is a Christian nation.'" (Kennedy. Ibid. pp. 73-74)

"Every document except perhaps the Ten Commandments has its flaws." (Justice Warren Burger)

"In 1892, the Supreme Court made an exhaustive study of the supposed connection between Christianity and the United States government and concluded 'that this is a religious people…a Christian nation.' In 1931, Justice George Sutherland reiterated that Americans were a 'Christian people.' And in 1952, Justice William O. Douglas affirmed in the case of Zorach vs. Clauson: 'We are a religious people, and our institutions presuppose a Supreme Being.'" (Bill Bright. Kingdoms at War. p. 13)