Letters: You might want to reread the First Amendment

Mark Sherman’s Feb. 14 article about Justice Antonin Scalia, “Strong opinions, in victory or dissent,” mentioned the “constitutionally required separation of church and state.” There is no such language in the Constitution.

The Constitution simply states that Congress may not establish an “official” religion and that individuals have the right to freely practice their own religion. The separation idea came from a private letter of Thomas Jefferson and is not found in any governing document. Few things about the Constitution are more misunderstood or more misrepresented.

This story was originally published February 20, 2016 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Letters: You might want to reread the First Amendment."