Joseph Martin Dawson Quotes
[T]he sole function of the American state, in respect to religion, is to recognize its existence and protect its liberty.
Joseph Martin Dawson, 1879-1973, Baptist Pastor & First Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee, Quoted in Baptist Joint Committee Website, September 2002
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
This is one of the key documents showing the “wall of separation of church and state” was in use in early America. Almost 200 years later the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court seemed ignorant of this communications. See William Rehnquist: {373663}
This is a critical quotation on the government establishment of religion issue. There are a few people who have argued over the years that the Founding Fathers and their culture was religious and where they were careful to avoid favoring one religion over another, they did NOT intend to put atheism on the same equal plane as religion as far as government action is concerned. However, some of the Founding Fathers were atheists, and some others like John Adams were deists—they believed in a God but not in the Trinity or in Judaism or any organized religion. So this quotation makes it clear that the First Amendment does NOT favor religion over non religion or secularism. Atheism must be on an equal footing but not on a higher plane.
This publication was one of the best selling in the entire history of America. Rarely has a single publication been read by as high a proportion of a population. Those who support the maintenance of a strict separation of Church and State in America often point to this quotation and the popularity of Common Sense as evidence that not only were the founding fathers in favor of strict separation but so was the general Colonial American public.
Carter was personally one of the most religious of our Presidents.
