Ken Buck, the Colorado Republican who thinks that gays are like alcoholics, said last year that he objected to a fundamental principle of American constitutional democracy:

I disagree strongly with the concept of separation of church and state. It was not written into the Constitution.

Now, he rightly noted that the Constitution bars “a religion that’s sanctioned by the government,” but, in his view, that “doesn’t mean that we need to have a separation between government and religion.” He specifically criticized President Obama for (supposedly) calling it a “holiday tree” instead of a Christmas tree.

But that’s exactly the point, albeit on a minor scale. Government shouldn’t, and isn’t allowed to, support one religion before or against all others. Now, I actually don’t have a problem with calling it a Christmas tree. [SNIP]

[SNIP]

Think Progress gets to the heart of the matter:

Needless to say, while the Constitution doesn’t contain the exact words “separation of church and state,” legal scholars and the courts agree it does prohibit the establishment or endorsement of religion, and that the involvement Buck wants is dangerous. As Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote in a concurring opinion in 1984, the government is prohibited from “making adherence to a religion relevant in any way to a person’s standing in the political community.” In 1801, Thomas Jefferson wrote that “religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God,” and argued the Constitution required “building a wall of separation between Church & State.”

Also, Buck’s charge about Obama and the White House Christmas tree doesn’t rise above the level of a crude viral e-mail hoax: or in the words of FactCheck.org, “hooey.”

That’s right, it’s all a lie, one that Buck, ignorant or not, was obviously more than willing to spread. While Obama would have been justified to call it a holiday tree, he didn’t. It was a traditional Christmas tree.

And that’s Sandra Day O’Connor who wrote that opinion — a Reagan appointee to the Supreme Court.

And that’s Thomas Jefferson, a rather more impressive authority than Ken Buck, who interpreted the Constitution as requiring a clear separation of church and state.

Continues @ TheModerateVoice.com