PBS: “Wall of Separation”

Tuesday, 26 June 2007 by Paul Dubuc.

PBS recently aired a very interesting documentary that explores the concept of the “Wall of Separation” between Church and State, its history and relationship to the First Amendment of the U. S. Constitution. I think that, on the whole, this is a fair and balanced presentation. It offers a needed corrective to the extreme separationism that has dominated our church-state legal relations over the last half-century. So the program has come under some harsh criticism from those who favor that extreme as well as some gushing praise from those who feel they’ve been persecuted by it. You can search the Web for opinions, but there’s a good summary and response to the feedback in the PBS Ombudsman Column, “Is That Church-State Wall Just a Metaphor?“ I share this program’s point of view and I think it describes a delicate balance that must be maintained for our society to stay healthy. The program hasn’t been aired widely yet. Call your local PBS station and ask for it. The DVD is available here.

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