Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., is arguing against the separation of church and state, according to a new video.
Boebert’s comments came Sunday at Cornerstone Christian Center in Basalt, Colorado, according to The Denver Post.
In the video, which has been viewed over 835,000 times on Twitter, Boebert said America’s Founding Fathers never intended separation of church and state.
"The reason we had so many overreaching regulations in our nation is because the church complied," Boebert said. "The church is supposed to direct the government. The government is not meant to direct the church. That is not how our Founding Fathers intended it.
"And I'm tired of this separation of church and state junk; that's not in the Constitution. It was in a stinking letter, and it means nothing like what they say it does."
Newsweek reported that the letter Boebert referred to was written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists in 1802. In the letter, Jefferson called for the separation of church and state.
"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declares that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state," Jefferson wrote.
The Post reported that the case in favor of separation of church and state is strong, according to Richard Collins, a retired constitutional law professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.
"But like so many issues, you can debate it," Collins said. "It's not completely unassailable, and that’s what encourages people like Boebert to go after it."
The Post noted Boebert's comments came just days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Newsmax has contacted Boebert’s office for further comment.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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