I agree.  Didn’t Jesus say that his followers should, in essence, give to the government that which is the government’s, and to God that which is God’s?

Separation of church and state is an important Christian idea, favored by many Anabaptists since the founding of the United States.  Today, the average Baptist in America today may instead hold the view that, although government should not intrude on religious institutions, the reverse is permissible or even impossible.  But this view, which has taken root in “faith-based” welfare programs, will play out unfavorably for religious people whose institutions now dispense welfare benefits.

Sooner or later, someone in these programs will be involved in fraud, and generally there is no statute of limitations on fraud with public money.  This unfortunate occurrence will result in greater governmental regulation of religious institutions. 

A wiser view held by religious people is that a wall of separation should be left intact between church and state (despite the fact, often touted by the Religious Right, that this popular phrase appears nowhere in the Decl. of Indep. or the Const., but only in the writings of Thomas Jefferson).

And, if a majority of the members of a legislative body choose to open its session with a prayer of some kind (hopefully ecumenical!), that is within their prerogrative because the prayer is said only in its session and not in any of the statutes it passes.  And, this is government leading, not the citizenry, but its own members in prayer.  That First Amendment law protects such prayer will not lead a reasonable person to conclude that government should be involved in the “establishment” of prayer as to the citizenry.