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Also note that an "establishment of religion" is a state church, such as the Church of England. Translated into more modern terms, Congress is prohibited from passing any laws that establish a national church.Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,...
Posting the Ten Commandments in public buildings, or singing Christmas carols, or having a cross to commemorate those who have died defending this country, or having a cross on the City of Los Angles' official seal that recognizes the heritage of the Spanish missions, aren't even remotely close to creating "an establishment of religion."
Indeed, the First Amendment Establishment Clause was intended only as a prohibition on Congress; there were several states that had established churches through the time of the framing of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Quoting from the Hon. J. Clifford Wallace, Emeritius Chief Judge of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals:
Clearly, the "wall of separation of church and state" that some are trying to create in this country, that in reality amounts to enforced atheism, is not supported by the Establishment Clause.At the start of the American Revolution in 1775, nine of the thirteen colonies had established churches. When the Constitutional Convention began in 1787, five states still retained their established faiths. State-established churches continued during the Convention, state ratification, and acceptance of the First Amendment. Indeed, it was not until 1833, forty-six years after the Constitutional Convention and fourty-two years after the First Amentdment was ratified, that Massachusetts disestablished the last state-sponsored church. The fact that these official state churches existed and continued to exist after the ratification of the First Amendment is strong evidence that the Framers meant the Establishment Clause to apply only to the federal government; the First Amendment left the states free to decide the propriety of having state churches.
J. Clifford Wallace, The Framers' Establishment Clause: How High the Wall?, Brigham Young University Law Review, Volume 2001, Number 2, pages 759-760 (2001).