The phrase originated in a letter from (then) President Thomas Jefferson to the Baptist congregation in Danbury, Mass. The state allowed towns to levy taxes to support the marjority congregation, which meant that the Baptists were being taxed to support the congregationalist church.
Quote:
Gentlemen,
The affectionate sentiments of esteem and approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist Association, give me the highest satisfaction. My duties dictate a faithful and zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more and more pleasing.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for is faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should “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 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, 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 yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect and esteem.
Of note:
The Constitution, absent the first amendment, was drafted in 1787, twelve years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the American Colonies. It was ratified in 1788 and took effect among the first 9 states ratifying it.
The BOR containing the first amendment was not ratified until 1791. At this time, many of the member states had an official religion, established in state law.
Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the US (1801-1809).
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So… If the first amendment makes us Americans, I wonder who those people were who declared independence from Great Britain, fought the revolution, established a new federation under the Articles of Confederation, ran the country for a decade, drafted the Constitution, ratified the Constitution, created and ratified the bill of rights, yadda yadda.
I’d like to thank those folks for their efforts, whoever they were.
Quote:
A true American goes to work, supports his family, pays his taxes, abides by the laws, protests what he doesn’t agree with, rallies behind what he does and chooses to worship god OR not worship god how he sees fit.
So a true American is the same as a true Palestinian, or a true Iranian, outside of the fact that he lives in America…. That will give me something to think about for a while.
One other note of historical interest:
Quote:
Not sure here, but I think one of the main reasons we exist (the USA) was due to wanting to separate church and state. The church of England pretty much ran the government. Our forefathers saw the danger in that and that is why our Constitution now provides for a separation of church and state.
Actually, it was the other way around. The English Monarchy created the Anglican church (The Church of England) out of thin air to escape the political influence of the Vatican (and, interestingly enough, the condemnation by Church leadership of King Henry VIII’s multiple divorces & remarriages; Henry was a philanderer of the first order who makes our former president look like a devoted husband).
With the Roman Church distracted by the theological meltdown that accompanied the reformation in Northern Europe, Henry was able to delcare the Church of England independent of Rome, and place himself as it’s head. Practices and doctrine remained very close to that of the Roman church, and Catholics can feel very at home at an Anglican mass, at least the last time I attended one.
To say that the government cannot stop you from practicing religion, says nothing about religion being in public places. 
