Famous Quotes on the Separation of Church and State

Here are some famous quotes on the separation of church and state:

  1. Thomas Jefferson (Letter to the Danbury Baptists, 1802):
    • “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should ‘make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ thus building a wall of separation between Church & State.”
  2. James Madison (Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, 1785):
    • “Because that religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence.”
  3. John F. Kennedy (Speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, 1960):
    • “I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute—where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference.”
  4. Ronald Reagan (Speech, 1984):
    • “We establish no religion in this country by law. We command no worship. We mandate no belief, nor will we ever.”
  5. Benjamin Franklin (Letter to the Earl of Dartmouth, 1776):
    • “I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more I am convinced that this is the only true system of government, for the benefit of mankind. I am a Christian, and I am a deist.”
  6. Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason, 1794):
    • “All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.”
  7. George Washington (Letter to the Hebrew Congregation at Newport, 1790):
    • “The United States gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, but warmly recommends the best conduct of all nations to our practice and example.”

These quotes emphasize the foundational principle in American governance that the government should not favor or impose any religious beliefs, ensuring freedom of religion for all citizens.