"Render therfore unto Ceasar the things which are Ceasar; and unto God the things that are God's" St Mathew 22:21

From The Declaration of Independence We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. and the Constitution We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The United States Founding Fathers were great individuals who believed in a Creator and understood that our humanity and rights are protected by Him. They understood that governments are human enterprises for the protection of these rights. Religion is not a part of the government, and government should not interfere in Religious worship. The separation between Religion and State is to protect both from each other. The form of Government instituted by the people is independent of one's religious believes and affiliation. The government should not be made to serve the religion. In Islam it is said that "No Coercion in Religion." But in reality, in the Middle East there is little separation between religion and State, and many of its countries use religion for coercion and abuse of those unalienable Rights that God has endowed all men equally with. As we say in Arabic "religion is to God and the homeland is for All." And the only safeguard is the separation between Religion and Government. The Islamic regime in Iran, and the Taliban in Afghanistan have demonstrated the abuse of religion in the service of the government for the oppression of individual rights. The challenge for modern Islam is to develop authentic political movements that can incorporate Islamic culture into a general respect for individual rights and acceptance of democratic governance. Years of living dangeroulsy In the United States, the separation between Church and State is continually under assault, by those who reject the wisdom of the Founding Fathers. And as different religions express their faith differently there is no place for the government to mandate against or "privilege" one expression over another. You can teach, preach and live morally and believe in God, but you shouldn't legislate morality. For moral behavior is a command of God given to free agents to act for themselves. God might hate sin but he gave every one the right to sin if they choose to. Government laws as defined by the constitution are not to serve a religious preference or mandate against the free exercise of religious practices that don't cause direct harm to others.

Calamitous fundamentalism From a Jerusalem Post editorial June 28, 2004 [T]he Yesha rabbis and Shapira are trying to destroy the golden mean that has been created over the years, which served as the framework for managing secular-religious relations and in which a reasonable balance was maintained between the state's needs and halakhic rules: They are calling on the religious public, including soldiers, to prefer the halakhic source of authority to the laws of the state. The rabbis are telling the religious public to obey their orders, which are to oppose the withdrawal from Gaza and the northern West Bank by any means, and to reject their civic obligation to accept the authority of the authorized governmental institutions. A fanatic minority, even if it comes in the name of a divine commandment, will not dictate the majority's opinions. The full editorial

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