A recent writer to the Morning Sentinel, serving in the Legislature in Augusta at the behest of God, points out that the Constitution does not mention the need to separate church and state. But it cannot therefore be assumed that the opposite is intended, that church and state should unite.

The writer worries about being asked to leave Jesus outside the door to the Capitol building, failing to realize that this is exactly what Jesus wants him to do.

Jesus was quite clear about separating civil government and religion. Everyone knows his commandment to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and unto God that which is God’s. In a lesser-known passage (Luke 12:13-14), Jesus is asked to settle a dispute about an inheritance. He refused, replying, “Who appointed me to make such a decision?”

In other words, Jesus refused to involve himself in legal matters or to apply his teachings to affairs of state.

The founding fathers did not put this into the Constitution because they assumed everyone already knew it. It’s curious today, however, how little attention professed Christians pay to what Jesus actually said. Many of us would accept their point of view more readily if they were more familiar with the precepts of their deity.

David Mills

Waterville