The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is largely made up of a group of lawyers who have appointed themselves watchdogs over what they call American freedoms. However, every time these so-called watch dogs of freedom enter a court room, you and I end up losing far more freedoms than we have ever lost before. Thanks to the ACLU, we can no longer have replicas of the Ten Commandments on our Courthouse lawns, although those of us who believe in principles of the Decalogue pay more than 99 and 44/100% of the taxes in this nation. One atheist objects to their being where they are and the ACLU is only too happy to sue on his behalf to have them removed. Often jurors who call themselves Christians sit on the juries that take away the freedoms of citizens who wish to see replicas of the Ten Commandments, or some other religious symbol on publicly held property, that is, property which belongs to the people. If a child whose parents are atheists, or Islamic, or of some other faith objects to student-led prayer in the classroom, at a graduation, a sports event or some other school function, some lawyer will enter suit to stop such an activity although the rights of the vast majority of the students are being suppressed for the "comfort" of a few, or sometimes only one.

This is all done under the guise of what these people call "the doctrine of the separation of church and state" in the Constitution of the United States. We have read the Constitution of our great country on more than one occasion, although it is a somewhat ponderous task. We have read and searched again and again, but have never found this "doctrine of the separation of church and state" in that greatest of all uninspired documents. As a matter of plain fact, the words "separation of church and state" are nowhere found in the great document. Unable to find these words, I have asked on several occasions, "Where is the doctrine of the separation of church and state found in our Constitution?" The reply has always been, "In the first amendment of the bill of rights." Friends, it is not there! The first amendment to the Constitution reads as follows: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Where in that lofty statement is there one single syllable regarding a separation of church and state? It is not there, neither explicitly or implicitly; it is not there! The rights of Christians in this nation are being run over as if they did not exist!

How long will it be before some atheist becomes offended because he has to pass a church building that belongs to people who call themselves Christians, and sues to have the building demolished because it offends his sensitivities as an atheist? How long will it be before some jury, or judge, will grant such a ridiculous request because of the imagined separation of church and state? We can hardly help but wonder! Friends, this writer is not particularly enamored with the placing of a "nativity scene" on public property at the so-called Christmas season, but there will be no lawsuits because it is there. We will simply turn our heads as we pass by. We have visited mosques at the hour of prayer. Since we do not believe in what they were doing, or in the god they worship, we simply ignored what was transpiring, admired the architectural beauty and went our way disturbing no one. Everyone else has the same privilege. If you do not like the Ten Commandments on the lawn of a public building, turn your head when you pass by, but do not trample the rights of hundreds of thousands of people who want to see them there. To do otherwise is minority rule by coercion rather than democratic majority rule. Perhaps those of us who are Christians need to pool our funds, hire some good lawyers and really battle this thing out in our courts. Must we always suffer the trampling of our rights due to some atheist's not liking the words to our Pledge of Allegiance? Is it not time for us to tell him, "If you don't like it, don't say it, there is no law requiring you to!"