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4/24/2006
FBI Technology Blows Apart Myth of Church State Separation WASHINGTON, April 24 /Christian Newswire/ -- Speaking to a group in Danbury, Connecticut, the Reverend Rob Schenck (pronounced SHANK), president of Washington, DC- based Faith and Action and a missionary to government officials on Capitol Hill, pointed to recent FBI analysis of Thomas Jefferson’s infamous “separation of church and state” letter to debunk the mythical “wall” that supposedly divides the two. Schenck was speaking at a rally on the Danbury Green, not far from the ruins of the 18th century church where the Danbury Association of Baptists met. It was in an 1801 letter to the Association that Jefferson coined the phrase, “wall of separation between church and state.” In 1947 the US Supreme Court incorporated the phrase into its majority opinion in a case called Everson vs. Ewing Township Board of Education. The first two drafts of the Jefferson letter, together with the one sent to Danbury are kept by the Library of Congress. The chief of the library’s manuscript division, Dr. James Hutson, has written extensively on the letter. Several years ago the FBI used classified technology to reveal margin notes and other material in the drafts that had been inked out by Jefferson. “The results of the FBI analysis are staggering,” said Rev. Schenck, who met with Dr. Hutson to discuss his findings on the notes. “It changes the whole character and meaning behind Jefferson’s words. In my opinion, and I believe Dr. Hutson’s work backs me up, this letter was nothing more than political damage control. It was never meant to represent constitutional theory.” Schenck pointed out in his Danbury talk that the Supreme Court took political spin and elevated it to constitutional doctrine. “That is patently absurd,” he said. Schenck’s talk has taken on added momentum after radio stations in Connecticut and Texas played it in its entirety. He will be taking his message to churches and other venues across the country over the next 18 months and is available for further comment.
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