Free Essays on Seperation Of State And Religion

Separation of church and state is a very sensitive topic in today’s society. Most people see the phrase â€Å"separation of church and state† and think it is concrete, constitutional, proof that nothing religious should set foot in anything relating to government. The intent of this paper is to present an alternate view of separation between church and state. Through exploring this controversial issue, this paper will touch on the history of separation of church and state, the principles of separation of church and state, and the elementary solution to church and state relations. Today’s Laws Concerning Separation of Church and State Today’s laws concerning church and state relations are very strict. The laws today treat religious morals as if they are harmful, and are going to severely detract from whatever they come in contact with. The notion that religion should be excluded from almost all facets of government related an issue is a very new thought. Th e very first Supreme Court case taking any form of religion out of schools, (and therefore government,) was in 1962. In the Engel v. Vital Supreme Court case, prayer was taken out of schools. A year after this case, Bible reading was taken out of schools in the Murray v Curlett Supreme Court case. Seventeen years later, in 1980, the Ten Commandments were taken out of schools in the Stone v Graham Supreme Court case. (Hall, â€Å"United States Supreme Court Decisions†) I have mentioned these court cases to show how recent this â€Å"new† view of separation of church and state re is. This new view of separation of church and state is called pluralism. The definition of pluralism is: law being decided by the majority or by the ruling group or individual apart from an objective morals. Today’s view is that the government should be tot neutral, and have no religious or moral prejudices when making laws. (Coyle, â€Å"Separation of Church and State†) Founding F athers View of Separation o... Free Essays on Seperation Of State And Religion Free Essays on Seperation Of State And Religion Separation of church and state is a very sensitive topic in today’s society. Most people see the phrase â€Å"separation of church and state† and think it is concrete, constitutional, proof that nothing religious should set foot in anything relating to government. The intent of this paper is to present an alternate view of separation between church and state. Through exploring this controversial issue, this paper will touch on the history of separation of church and state, the principles of separation of church and state, and the elementary solution to church and state relations. Today’s Laws Concerning Separation of Church and State Today’s laws concerning church and state relations are very strict. The laws today treat religious morals as if they are harmful, and are going to severely detract from whatever they come in contact with. The notion that religion should be excluded from almost all facets of government related an issue is a very new thought. Th e very first Supreme Court case taking any form of religion out of schools, (and therefore government,) was in 1962. In the Engel v. Vital Supreme Court case, prayer was taken out of schools. A year after this case, Bible reading was taken out of schools in the Murray v Curlett Supreme Court case. Seventeen years later, in 1980, the Ten Commandments were taken out of schools in the Stone v Graham Supreme Court case. (Hall, â€Å"United States Supreme Court Decisions†) I have mentioned these court cases to show how recent this â€Å"new† view of separation of church and state re is. This new view of separation of church and state is called pluralism. The definition of pluralism is: law being decided by the majority or by the ruling group or individual apart from an objective morals. Today’s view is that the government should be tot neutral, and have no religious or moral prejudices when making laws. (Coyle, â€Å"Separation of Church and State†) Founding F athers View of Separation o...

Simmons Surname Meaning and Family History

Simmons Surname Meaning and Family History The specific etymology of the Simmons surname has been difficult for historians to establish. Several possible origins include: A patronymic surname derived from the Biblical name Simon or Simund, from the Greek form of the Hebrew name Shimon which meant hearkening or listening.A patronymic surname from the personal name Simund, meaning  victorious protector, from the Old Norse  sig, meaning  victory,  and mundr, or protection.  A possible evolution of the name Seaman, meaning navigator or sailor. SIMMONS was the 92nd most common American surname in the 1990 U.S. census but had fallen out of the top 100 common U.S. surnames by the time of the 2000 U.S. census. Surname Origin:  English, German and French Alternate Surname Spellings:  SIMOND, SIMMONDS, SYMONDS, SIMONS, SIMMANCE, SIMMENCE, SEMMENS, SEAMANS Famous People with the Surname SIMMONS Russell Simmons - co-founder of the pioneering hip-hop label, Def JamJean Simmons - English actressRichard Simmons - American fitness trainer Where is the SIMMONS Surname Most Common? The Simmons surname is most prevalent in the United States, according to surname distribution information from  Forebears, where it ranks as the 104th most common last name. It is also somewhat common in England (286th), Australia (342nd) and Wales (377th). Surname distribution maps from  WorldNames PublicProfiler  show the Simmons surname is especially common in the American southeast, including the states of South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Genealogy Resources for the Surname SIMMONS Simmons Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Simmons family crest or coat of arms for the Simmons surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. SIMMONS DNA ProjectMore than 300 members have joined this project for the Simmons surname (and variants such as Simons) to  work together to find their common heritage through DNA testing and sharing of information. SIMMONS Family Genealogy ForumThis free message board is focused on descendants of Simmons ancestors around the world. Search the forum for posts about your Simmons ancestors, or join the forum and post your own queries.   FamilySearch - SIMMONS GenealogyExplore over 8  million  results from digitized  historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Simmons surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. GeneaNet - Simmons RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Simmons surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries. The Simmons Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Simmons surname from the website of Genealogy Today. Ancestry.com: Simmons SurnameExplore over 6.8  million digitized records and database entries, including census records, passenger lists, military records, land deeds, probates, wills and other records for the Simmons surname on the subscription-based website, Ancestry.com- References: Surname Meanings OriginsCottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.