[Alex Murphy]

“State support for religion tends to rob religion of its vitality and, for some, turns it into a mere ceremonial exercise,” said Walker, an ordained Baptist minister. “This is one reason why I object so strongly to efforts in the United States to use tax dollars to support religious education and church ministries, allow officially sanctioned prayer in the public schools, and tolerate government-sponsored religious symbols”....

....The Church of England formed early in the Protestant Reformation after Pope Clement VII refused over a number of years to annul the marriage of King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon. The church in England recognized Henry as supreme head of the Anglican Church in 1531. If Prince William ever ascends to the throne, he will play the same role in the church.

[AnAmericanMother]

CVII couldn't really annul the marriage even if he wanted to, because Henry had been granted a dispensation in the first place to marry Catherine. An annulment declares that a sacramental marriage never existed -- if you married on a dispensation it's real chutzpah to seek one.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Actual separation of church and state is vitally necessary. Catholicism and Protestantism were both killers - literally - when they were established. Freedom of religion, not mere toleration, is a vital necessity in a free society.

On the other hand, ACLU/PAW type "separation of church and state," where we completely eliminate the ability of religious people to have a say or influence in society, is a grave and terrible danger to any free society. History is replete with example after example of societies which became radically secularised, and were killing people en masse in short order. You want a killer? ATHEISM is a killer.

[buffyt]

AMEN! Excellent!

[Biggirl]

Good article. Makes me appriciate America all the more.

[TexasRepublic]

The future head of the Anglican church is currently shacked up with his honey. Yeah, that does wonders for the church. /s