“The "establishment of religion" clause of the First Amendment means at least this: Neither a state nor the Federal Government can set up a church. Neither can pass laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another. Neither can force nor influence a person to go to or to remain away from church against his will or force him to profess a belief or disbelief in any religion.” FirstsMeanPersonsStatesGovernmentLawBeliefForceChurchAtheismInfluencePositive AtheismAidsEstablishmentAmendmentsFederal GovernmentFirst AmendmentDisbeliefSeparation Of Church And StateClauses Author:Hugo Black
“Of the six men who have done most to make America the wonder and the joy she is to all of us, not one could be the citizen of a government so constituted; for Washington and Franklin and Jefferson, certainly the three mightiest leaders in our early history, were heretics in their day, Deists, as men called them; and Garrison and Lincoln and Sumner, certainly the three mightiest in these later times, would all be disfranchised by the proposed amendment. Lincoln could not have taken the oath of office had such a clause been in the Constitution.” MenDoneGovernmentAmericaJoyThreeLeaderWonderTakenAtheismCitizensOfficeSixConstitutionPositive AtheismAmendmentsOathFranklinHereticX MenClausesDeistOath Of Office Author:John Chadwick
“Nonbelievers are protected by the religion clauses of the Constitution not because secular humanism is a religion, which it is not, but because when the government acts on the basis of religion it discriminates against those who do not "believe" in the governmentally favored manner.” BelieveGovernmentAtheismBasesConstitutionHumanismPositive AtheismProtectedSecularClausesSecular Humanism Author:Norman Dorsen