Yup, “separation of church and state” gives the most trouble because it ain’t in the 1st amendment (or anywhere else), and the phrase meant something completely different to Thomas Jefferson from what it means today. (In TJs time, separation meant that ministers couldn’t be politicians and vice-versa - the idea was that one person couldn’t do both jobs well.) I recommend this dense but scholarly and well researched tome for a good history of the evolution of the phrase:
Yup, “separation of church and state” gives the most trouble because it ain’t in the 1st amendment (or anywhere else), and the phrase meant something completely different to Thomas Jefferson from what it means today. (In TJs time, separation meant that ministers couldn’t be politicians and vice-versa - the idea was that one person couldn’t do both jobs well.) I recommend this dense but scholarly and well researched tome for a good history of the evolution of the phrase:
http://www.amazon.com/Separation-Church-State-Philip-Hamburger/dp/0674013743/
Ironically, twisted interpretations of the 1st amendment are most often used to restrict religious freedom today.