The phrase “separation of church and state” is commonplace. Lost in time and the polarization of the media is the real meaning of the phrase.

The concept comes from a long history of interactions between the church and state in Europe. What we are sure of is that the one in danger was never the state, but the church.

James Madison in one of this letter noted that there should be no “no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. The meaning is clear that the state should not prohibit a person from living as their conscience dictates.

Let me put it plainly: if the separation of church and state mean that no man influenced by his religion could be involved in the matter of the states, we would have no religious men in governance. If that was the case, that would be nothing short of the real oppression of religion.

If the separation of church and state meant that men and women with religions convictions would not be allowed to exercise those convictions, then they would be excluded from any position in governance.

The popular logic goes as follows: since we have separation of church and state, there should be no religious practice or convictions informing the decision of those who govern. Since nature abhors a void, and laws cannot be made without principles, secularism fills the void.

Secularism is a religion as well though. The principle of separation of church and state is still not fulfilled. Another religion - one much newer and untested, much more precarious. Most people don’t even know that secularism is a religion. The more informed know it to be true, those who inform us conveniently overlook it and those who don’t want Christianity carefully promote it.

What stands true, and stands the test of time is that men and women cannot have a soul. They thirst for meaning and purpose. The answers to these questions to what lies beyond the physical world are questions humans have wrestled with for centuries and some have found answers.

In the convenient reality of secularism there are no answers - just the opaque agnostic mantra that everybody is right and has a right to be right. In such a world with no absolutes and no objectivism, the first casualty is truth. And if history has taught us something is that when truth is lost, so if freedom.

Freedom from religion is chasing the conscience of a nation out of every public institution. And with it the meaning that gave us the conviction and clarity to build the nation that we built. For only when one has evidence of something larger than himself, larger than life - only then are great things achieved.

Freedom of religion - no religion will be mandated by state.

Freedom from religion - the state will not be influenced by any religious ideology or institution.

This sounds drastic and outlandish but think about it. The normal step after removing religion from the public sphere and making it private is not allowing religion to influence the public sphere. That means that no moral argument based on the theistic worldview will be a valid argument. From “In God we Trust” to “any argument from God we distrust”.

This is no secret thought. It’s been happening for decades in the world of academia. As more people get educated in a particular school of thought, the natural transition is to create laws within the same framework.