Separation of Action and Opinion!

Danbury Babtist Association Speech | 1700s | Thomas Jefferson

[gtwizard]

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and 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 there, thus building a wall of separation between church and State.

[gtwizard]

I was just reading about separation of Church and state and came across the origin of that statement and it occurred to me that this now revered letter by the "Separation Left" also explicitely states the unconstitutionality of hate crime laws! Jefferson says that "the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions."

Has this argument ever been used to fight hate crime laws?

[BibChr]

Danbury Babtist Association Speech | 1700s | Thomas Jefferson

I believe the correct spelling is "Babdist."

Dan