But to assert that Thomas Jefferson, of all the Founders, would be especially upset by Kennedy’s interpretation of the First Amendment is simply bad history -- right up there with placing Concord where Cambridge belongs. It was Jefferson, after all, who is credited with coining the “wall of separation” metaphor that so upsets the religious right.

But more significantly, Jefferson was the author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom[4] which, among other things, states “that no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever…”

The plain reading of this is that citizens should not, ever, face a requirement to support any religion with their tax dollars. That’s about as “absolute” a ban as you’re going to find.

But it is a complex issue, one on which the Founders themselves were not in full accord. Take, for example, John Adams. He had far fewer qualms about state support for religion than Jefferson.

Maybe Adams is spinning in his grave, which can be found in Quincy, Massachusetts.