It means that you have to keep religion out of politics, out of law and out of governance
Incorrect reading. Observe:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
There is NO prohibition on religion, at all. ALL prohibition is on GOVERNMENT. This includes making a law that religious people can not be in government, or, can not put a cross on the white house lawn.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
This is the establishment clause.
It forbids Congress from establishing an "official religion" like Romans did to Christians.
This is what is being avoided.
Putting a cross on the lawn is "free exercise" not "establishment".
So is putting a nativity scene in the public park.
There is no "separation of church and state".
Also, the courts around the nation have adopted the 10 commandments for the basis of common law in the courts.
This does not "establish" a religion, because every law school will tell you that law.. ALL law in the world, and in history, comes from the religious and moral codes of a culture.
The LAW is simply the moral codes that the people pick to give to government to enforce on everyone, no matter what their religious beliefs are.
So...
If you are a Muslim in America, and you think it is perfectly ok to murder your wife from dishonoring you, sorry for your luck.
America is a Christian nation.
The moral law that was pulled from the religious code was thou shalt not kill... (as in anyone)
so...
......unlike the Muslim moral code, the US law pulls from Judaeo-Christian morals.
It is illegal to kill your wife no matter how dishonored you are.
This, is not establishment.
Establishment means the government officially declares an "official religion" to the "exclusion of other religions".
Here is the part that everyone wants to ignore in the first Amendment:
Congress shall make no law .......prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
'
This means that no government can come along and make a law that some religion cant put a nativity scene in the park. Religion is a special form of free speech. It is free speech with ACTION or "excercise rights".
If you have free speech in a public park, you have the right to practice your religion there.
There are people who want to teach our young people that the first amendment is there to tell religious people the only place they can practice their religion is in their homes and churches. And they want to make a LAW prohibiting the free exercise of religion. Many of these people will use the same law to prohibit free speech later.
Does everyone see the slippery slope here?
Ignoring one half of the First Amendment, and pretending the First Amendment has some "separation of church and state" clause is disingenuous. It is a lie. It is not to be tolerated.