Original Intent: The Courts, the Constitution & ReligionIn their own words, the Supreme Court has become "a national theology board," "a super board of education," and amateur psychologists on a "psycho-journey." The result has been a virtual rewriting of the liberties enumerated in the Constitution. A direct victim of this judicial micromanagement has been the religious aspect of the First Amendment. For example, the Court now interprets that Amendment under: a "Lemon Test" absurdly requiring religious expression to be secular, an "Endorsement Test" pursuing an impossible neutrality between religion and secularism, and a "Psychological Coercion Test" allowing a single dissenter to silence an entire community's religious expression. Additional casualties of judicial activism have included protections for State's rights, local controls, separation of powers, legislative supremacy, and numerous other constitutional provisions. Why did earlier Courts protect these powers for generations, and what has caused their erosion by contemporary Courts? Original Intent answers these questions. By relying on thousands of primary sources, Original Intent documents (in the Founding Fathers' own words) not only the plan for limited government originally set forth in the Constitution and Bill of Rights but how that vision can once again become reality. Book jacket. |
Contents
Religion and the Courts | 13 |
Religion and the Constitution | 21 |
The Misleading Metaphor | 43 |
Copyright | |
21 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
admitted Alexander Hamilton Amendment American Bible Society appointed Article Assembly Attorney authority believe Benjamin Rush Bill of Rights Charles Chief-Justice Christ Christian religion church citizens civil College Company Connecticut Constitutional Convention Continental Congress Debates Declaration of Independence delegate Divine editor Boston editor New York elected emphasis added established example fact federal Constitution 1787 Federalist Founders Founding Fathers G. P. Putnam's Sons George Washington Governor graduated History Holy House of Representatives James Madison James Wilson Jersey Jesus John Adams John Jay John Quincy Adams John Witherspoon judge judicial Judiciary jurist Justice legislative legislature Letters liberty Maryland Massachusetts morality nation Noah Webster North Carolina numerous Pennsylvania Philadelphia political prayer Princeton principles public official ratification religious Samuel Adams SIGNER slavery soldier studied law T]he Thomas Jefferson treaty U. S. House U. S. Senator U. S. Supreme Court United University Vice-President Virginia volumes William Writings Yale