Constitution Never Intended to Prohibit Government Recognition of Religion

American Minute from William J. Federer

 

He was President of the American Bar Association, Chief Justice of Michigan's Supreme Court and dean of the University of Michigan Law School. His name was Thomas Cooley and he died SEPTEMBER 12, 1898.

 

The first Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission, Thomas Cooley's commentaries shaped American law. He declined offers to teach at Hastings College of Law, University of Texas, Johns Hopkins University, Boston Law School, University of Pennsylvania and Cornell Law School.

 

In his General Principles of Constitutional Law, 1890, Thomas Cooley wrote: "It was never intended by the Constitution that the government should be prohibited from recognizing religion, or that religious worship should never be provided for in cases where a proper recognition of Divine Providence in the working of government might seem to require it, and where it might be done without drawing an invidious distinction between religious beliefs, organizations, or sects."

 

Thomas Cooley continued: "The Christian religion was always recognized in the administration of the common law of the land, the fundamental principles of that religion must continue to be recognized in the same cases and to the same extent as formerly."

 

William J. Federer is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and president of Amerisearch, Inc, which is dedicated to researching our American heritage. The American Minute radio feature looks back at events in American history on the dates they occurred, is broadcast daily across the country and read by thousand on the internet.