Lowell P. Weicker Jr. Quotes

When religion and politics ride in the same cart, the whirlwind follows.

If you're a Christian and you're running for president and you want to make this into a theocracy, I'm not going to support you.

The manifest object of the men who framed the institutions of this country, was to have a State without religion and a Church without politics—that is to say, they meant that one should never be used as an engine for the purposes of the other.... For that reason they built up a wall of complete and perfect partition between the two.

if any sect suffered itself to be used for political objects I would meet it by political opposition. In my view church and state should be separate, not only in form, but fact. Religion and politics should not be mingled.

God doesn't belong in politics.

Politics bereft of religion is absolute dirt, ever to be shunned.

Church and state should be separate, not only in form, but fact - religion and politics should not be mingled.

I think it's very important for people who are serving (in office) to make sure there's a separation of church and state.

Many Americans who are not fastened at the temples to a Christian prayer book are offended by politicians who justify their decisions by piously quoting the Old Testament.

I do not want to end up with an American style of politics, with us going out there beating our chest about our faith. Politics and religion - it is not that they do not have a lot in common, but if [religion] ends up being used in the political process, I think that is a bit unhealthy.

We all agree that neither the Government nor political parties ought to interfere with religious sects. It is equally true that religious sects ought not to interfere with the Government or with political parties. We believe that the cause of good government and the cause of religion both suffer by all such interference.

The Church's role should be separated from the state's role.

Although he's regularly asked to do so, God does not take sides in American politics.

The Establishment Clause prohibits government from making adherence to a religion relevant in any way to a person's standing in the political community.

Politics and the pulpit are terms that have little agreement.

Politics are not the task of a Christian.

Have you not violated a fundamental principle of liberty in excluding the clergy from your Legislatures. I know their danger in a free government but I would rather see them excluded from civil power by custom than by law. They have property, wives & children, & of course are citizens of a community. Why therefore Should they be Abridged of any one privilege which Other citizens enjoy? Is it not a fact that by investing any men with more, or confining them to fewer privileges than members of a community enjoy in general we render those men the enemies of that community Perhaps all the Mischief which the clergy have done in all countries has arisen from the first of the above causes. Will not the clause in your Charter which excludes Clergymen from your Legislature hand down to posterity as well as hold up to the World an idea that you looked upon the Christian religion as well as its Ministers as unfriendly to good government? I wish our governments would treat religion of all kinds, & ministers of all denominations as if no such things or beings existed in the world. They mutually destroy each Other when any Attempts are made by either to support each other...

We want no religious or anti-religious political parties.

Religion is too important an aspect of human life to be prostituted to politics, just as politics is too important a part of human life to be enslaved to religion.

Personal religious convictions have no place in political campaigns or in dictating public policy.

The great decisions of government cannot be dictated by the concerns of religious factions.

Strongly guarded as is the separation between religion and & Gov't in the Constitution of the United States the danger of encroachment by Ecclesiastical Bodies, may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history

I have always wondered why the Muslim world is in the eye of virtually every storm, in my lifetime at least?

Clergymen should not get involved with politics.

It is of the utmost danger to society to make it (religion) a party in political disputes …. Mingling religion with politics may be disavowed and reprobated by every inhabitant of America.