Theocracy On The March

Sarah Palin: The Founding Fathers Didn't Want Separation of Church and State

Greg Sargent fact-checked a Kentucky newspaper's claim that Sarah Palin said religion shouldn't be "separated" from state and found that the truth is "worse than you might have thought." Not only did Palin say faith and state shouldn't occupy separate realms, she appealed to the Founding Fathers in making her gramatically questionable claim. "I beg you, Women of Joy, to bring light and be involved, loving America and praying for her. Really, it is our solemn duty," Palin said to an audience at awomen's conference. "Praying for true spiritual awakening to overcome deterioration. That is where God wants us to be. Lest anyone try to convince you that God should be separated from the state, our Founding Fathers, they were believers. And George Washington, he saw faith in God as basic to life." Sargent is not amused. "This is substandard history," he says. "In reality, the separation of church and state, thanks in part to the efforts of those very same Founding Fathers, is enshrined in the Bill of Rights." Despite the fact that he has the Bill of Rights on his side, Sargent is a little dispirited. "There was a time when this sort of thing would provoke widespread media mockery," he sighs, "and perhaps even be seen as a potential disqualifier for the presidency."

Read original story in The Plum Line | Monday, April 19, 2010