What did the lawmakers intend by granting the national government no power over religion when they made the U. S. Constitution?

To prevent national religions that would create intolerance, such as which the original pilgrims came from Europe to avoid.

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Czar of the 26th Ward.

They (the Founding Fathers) were also fleeing a monachy which used religion and the Church to abuse power. England had a long history of power and Church being intertwined.

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"I think that anything that begins to give people a sense of their own worth and dignity is God."
John Shelby Spong

Congrats Phils 2008 World Champs!

What are "national religions?" Are they religions established by the national government, or religions established for all the people of the nation, or both?

I thought the lawmakers wanted absolute freedom for the rights of conscience.

Is the fundamental principle of your method of interpretation, that the meaning of the Constitution should be gathered from whatever the Pilgrims came here to avoid in Europe?

Where did you get the idea that the meaning of the Constitution should be gathered from England's history?

It's called history books, dude! Our Founding Fathers were English. They were breaking free from British rule. There was even a war about it.

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"I think that anything that begins to give people a sense of their own worth and dignity is God."
John Shelby Spong

Congrats Phils 2008 World Champs!

Are we having a discussion or doing someone's homework?

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Czar of the 26th Ward.

I was thinking the same thing Mr. Jagger, what grade are you in?

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"I think that anything that begins to give people a sense of their own worth and dignity is God."
John Shelby Spong

Congrats Phils 2008 World Champs!

Where did you get the notion that the lawmakers meant for us to gather the meaning of the Constitution from the fact that the Founding Fathers were English? I thought they meant for us to use the common law "rules of construction."

What grade were you in when you learned about the common law "rules of construction" and the abundance of historical evidence that the lawmakers took for granted that the "rules of construction" would be used to ascertain the meaning of the Constitution?