George W. Bushs Faith Based Initiative and the Separation of Church an

George W. Bush's Faith Based Initiative and the Separation of Church and State Clause Nowhere in the U.S constitution or any other official documents  does it say that there must be strict â€Å"separation of church and state†.   This clause was used by Jefferson in his letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut on January 1, 1802 (Truthwalk 1).   After being revised six times by one of our founding fathers, James Madision, the first amendment now states that,   â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." (Parsons 40).  Ã‚   Did the fore fathers intend the first amendment to keep religion out of government, or did they want to create a law that stated religion was a free choice moreover preventing the government from forcing one religion upon the people of America. When hearing the phrase â€Å"separation of church and state† one thinks of controversy.   Every other day you hear of something on the news regarding, â€Å"the separation of church and state,† where is the right place to draw the line? Many issues have arisen in the world today that makes the topic of "separation of church and state" very controversial; however, one of most significant issues is Bush's Faith Based Initiative.   Bush’s Faith Based Initiative has strong separationists crying out â€Å"separation of church and state† all over the news. "Separationists argue that our fore fathers wanted such a complete division between church and state that any government accommodation would be unconstitutional"(Frank Guliuzza, p.116). On January 29th, 2001, right after his inauguration, Bush set up his Faith Based Initiative that would soon provide â€Å"faith-based† organizations with governmental federal fund... ... Religion. pgs: 163-164.   Boston Mass:   The Beacon Press, 1953. * "The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life."   Faith Based Initiative and the Bush Administration.   2004.   <http://pewforum.org/faith-based-initiatives> * Sheldon, Louis P.   "CON: IS BUSH VIOLATING SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE?."   The Wichita Eagle.   7 Janurary 2003.   <http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/news/editorial/4886897.htm>. * Scott, Robert C. "Statement of Rep. Scott on Bush's Executive Orders on Faith Based Initiatives."   Press Release. 12 December 2002.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚               <http://www.house.gov/scott/press12_12_02.htm>   * "TruthWalk"   November 7, 2004.   The Separation of Church and State.   <http://www.truthwalk.com/Feedback/separation.html> * "White House Faith Based and Community Initiative".   November 2003. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/fbci/guidance_document.pdf>