一個清楚的異象—美國遺產概要10
我們繼續上週所談到的，美國憲法沒有一處陳述政教必須分離，只有說到：「國會不得制定建立宗教的法律，或者禁止其自由行使。」因為國會是聯邦政府，但若各州選擇建立認可的宗教，並不在其限制，而許多州也這麼做。
舉例來說，曾有些州要求是新教徒才能投票，其他州則要求上教會的才能投票。這並不代表這些法律是合宜的，最終也都被廢除了，但這樣的允許證明州政府有權柄在憲法下做這些決定。憲法只有禁止國會建立宗教，並沒有禁止各州政府。
一些州所制定的宗教測試法在憲法之下是合法的，卻不是合宜的，的確造成一些問題。州政府有智慧處理這些事宜，國家又不會受到州政府所造成的騷亂影響，實為明智之舉。
只有在聯邦政府開始越過憲法所給予的權限，因而侵佔州政府與人民的權利時，各州所造成的騷亂與分歧才變成全國性的災難，威脅著拆毀整個國家。這些不必要的壓力將持續成長，直到聯邦政府回到它的憲法界線，州政府與人民被篡奪的權利也歸還給他們為止。
關於在教會與國家之間合適的憲法關係，舉例來說，我們都曾目睹男女雙方本是很好的朋友，友誼卻被結婚所破壞。結婚仍是朋友是很有價值的目標，但朋友之間對彼此的愛在更委身的婚姻關係中，不太能行得通。這即是何以許多語言對這兩種屬性─友情和愛情有其不同的字彙。重點是教會和國家應有的關係是朋友關係，而非婚姻關係。
教會獨獨被呼召成為基督的新婦，政府對待基督新婦的關係，就像太監一樣，提供王與他新婦的安全。在需要時保衛她，但除此之外可以說是毫無關係的。
當教會和政府的關係超過應有範圍時，為地上帶來最黑暗的時期─黑暗時代（the Dark Ages）。教會錯誤與政府結合的陋習，讓早期美國人很難忘記。他們有許多人目睹、或成為此可怕敗壞下的受害者，這都起於教會與歐洲國家錯誤的結合，最終成為人類歷史上最嚴重的逼迫─宗教裁判所（The Inquisition）。
宗教裁判所是由基督徒（譯者註：當時的天主教會）對其他基督徒和猶太人的逼迫，當時只有制度化教會嫁給國家才能這麼做。不願遵照當時制度化教會教條的基督徒和猶太人，便遭到難以想像的屠殺。哈利聖經手冊（Halley’s Bible Handbook）預估約有五千萬不願遵守的基督徒和猶太人，遭到宗教裁判所的折磨和殺害，此數字也被其他歷史學家證實。正如我們可以在福克斯殉道者名錄（Foxe’s Book of Martyrs）讀到諸如此類的事，最荒誕殘忍的酷刑是如何在宗教裁判所被使用。這真的是人類歷史上最黑暗的時刻之一，透過大淫婦教會錯誤嫁給國家，以基督之名所做的事。
許多第一代殖民者成為此逼迫的受難者─美國獨立運動的領袖深知他們的故事─當時英國強迫執行一條法律在這些殖民者身上，就是除了英國國教之外，其他教會的牧者不得有執照，第一代殖民者無法容忍此條例。
美國共和國開國父老堅決確保這樣的事絕不會在美國發生，要這麼做，他們所建立的政府最重要的是宗教自由，他們定意讓聯邦政府不干涉宗教，反而是要成為宗教自由的保護者。
當歐洲的猶太人與新教徒和其他基督教運動受到逼迫，他們都逃到美國避難，受到了基督徒殖民者的歡迎與尊榮。其他宗教或沒宗教的人，也發現美國對他們的包容與自由是其他地方找不到的。美國的誕生成為宗教受逼迫者的避風港。
美國開國父老定意讓教會和政府是分開的實體，但顯然是為了讓政府不干涉教會內部的事，而不是顛倒過來。接著我們必須問一個問題，最高法院和許多一般法院是如何核准這麼多禁止自由行使宗教的決定？答案是透過公然違反憲法和第一修正案。國會的領導階層太軟弱或無能對抗司法機構的暴政濫用。
倘若我們的共和國要維持下去，我們必須重新找到真相，就是最高法院並不是「這塊土地的最高法律」─憲法才是。最高法院歷年來已經做出許多違反憲法的決定，雖然有些案子後來被翻案，但還有許多案子沒有翻案。近來這些案子每年都在堆積，因為目前已經太過偏離原本憲法給予司法機構的通道。很快會造成共和國的毀滅，正如傑弗遜與其他開國元老當時所警告的。
在未來概要中，我們會更詳細談到這些違憲法案，以及他們對國家所造成的毀滅性影響。司法部門可能是首當其衝的肇事者，但三大部門全都有罪，脫離了憲法所給予聯邦政府清楚和有限制的權柄。這加諸在整個國家的壓力使我們來到爆發點。在憲法之下，人民至上，我們越拖延要求聯邦政府遵守憲法，拯救我們共和國的代價也越大。
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～摘錄美國獨立宣言作者與第四任總統─詹姆士·麥迪遜（James Madison）～
我相信有更多剝奪人民自由的例子是透過當權者逐步、緩慢的侵犯，而不是猛烈、突然的竄奪。
～摘錄美國憲法序言～
我們美國人民，為建立更完善的聯盟，樹立正義，保障國內安寧，提供共同防禦，促進公共福利，並使我們自己和後代得享自由的祝福，特為美利堅合眾國制定本憲法。
(摘自喬納word for the week, Week 10, 2020)
A Clear Vision—Heritage Brief 10
Following up on the fact that nowhere in The United States Constitution does it state that there must be a separation between the church and the state, it only states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Because Congress was the Federal Government, this did not prohibit the states from establishing a recognized religion if they chose to, and many of them did.
For example, a couple of states made it a requirement to be of the Protestant faith to vote. Others required church attendance to vote. This did not make these laws right, and eventually they were all repealed, but that this was allowed proved that the states had authority to do such things under The Constitution. The Constitution only forbade Congress from establishing religion.
These religious test laws by some states were legal under The Constitution, but they were not right, and they did cause problems. The wisdom of how these matters could be worked out by the states while the whole country was not subjected to the turmoil they caused proved to be genius.
It has only been when the Federal Government started to exceed the authority given to it in The Constitution, and thereby encroach on the rights of the states and the people, that the turmoil and divisions this has caused became national and threatened to tear the nation apart. These unnecessary pressures will continue to grow until the Federal Government returns to its constitutional boundaries, and the rights of the states and the people that it has usurped is returned to them.
Concerning the proper and constitutional relationship between the church and the state, we have all likely witnessed men and women who were good friends ruin that friendship by getting married. It is a worthy goal for those who are married to be friends, but the love for each as friends may not work well in the more committed bonds of marriage. This is why many languages have different words for these two types of affection—friendship and romantic love. The point is that the church and the state should have a relationship as friends, but not marriage.
The church is called to be the bride of Christ, alone. In relation to the bride of Christ, the state is called to be like the eunuchs who provided security for the king and his bride. They defend her if necessary, but they can have no relationship with her beyond this.
When the relationship between church and state went beyond what it is supposed to be, it brought upon the earth the darkest of times—the Dark Ages. The abuses of the wrongful union of the church to the state was deeply impressed on the early Americans. Many had been witnesses to, or victims of, the horrible corruption that came from this wrongful union of the church and state in Europe, which culminated in the worst persecution in human history—The Inquisition.
The Inquisition was the persecution by Christians of other Christians and Jews. It was only possible by the institutional church being married to the state at that time. Christians and Jews who would not conform to the dogma of the institutional church of the time were slaughtered on an incomprehensible scale. Halley’s Bible Handbook estimates that up to 50 million of these non-conformist Christians and Jews were tortured and killed in The Inquisition. This number is corroborated by other historians. We can read in such works as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs the kind of demented and diabolical tortures used by The Inquisition. This was truly one of mankind’s darkest hours, and done in the name of Christ by the harlot church that had wrongfully married the state.
With many of the first colonists being victims of this persecution—and the leaders of the independence movement in America knowing their stories well—when The British imposed a law on the colonies that no minister of the gospel could be licensed except through The Church of England, it was intolerable to the colonists.
The Founders of the American Republic were resolute in ensuring that such a thing would never happen in America. To do this they established the government first and foremost on the freedom of religion, resolving to keep the Federal Government out of religion, but a protector of religious freedom.
As the Jews of Europe were persecuted along with the Protestants and other Christian movements, they also fled to America to escape. They were both welcomed and honored by their Christian fellow colonists. Those of other religions, or no religion, also found in America the tolerance and freedom they had not found anywhere else in the world. America was born as a haven for religiously persecuted people.
The American Founders were resolved to keep the church and state as separate entities, but it was clearly to keep the state out of the church’s business, not the other way around. We must then ask, how did The Supreme Court and many lower courts issue so many decisions prohibiting the free exercise of religion? By blatantly violating The Constitution and The First Amendment. The leadership of Congress was too weak or inept to confront this tyrannical abuse by the judiciary.
If our Republic is to be preserved, we must recover the fact that The Supreme Court is not the “supreme law of the land”—The Constitution is. The Supreme Court has made many unconstitutional decisions in its history, some of which were reversed by later courts, but many have not. In recent times it is piling them up almost yearly because it has now departed so far from the lane The Constitution gave to the judiciary. If this is not corrected, it will soon cause the destruction of the Republic, just as Jefferson and other Founders warned.
We will cover these violations of The Constitution in more detail in future Briefs, along with the devastating impact they have had on the nation. The Judicial Branch may have been the biggest culprit in this, but all three branches are guilty of deviating from the clear and limited authority given to the Federal Government by The Constitution. The stress this has put on the entire country has us at the breaking point. Under The Constitution, the people are the sovereign. The longer we wait to demand that our Federal Government obey The Constitution, the greater the cost it will be to save our Republic.
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I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations.
– James Madison, author of The Constitution and fifth President of the United States
We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, 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.
–Preamble to the United States Constitution