Quote:
Originally Posted by djplong
The "key word" is THE WHOLE SENTENCE. If you concentrate on just one word, one COULD say "They said Congress - so that means New Hampshire can have an official religion".
My point is that one of those words has been frequently misinterpreted (and another word added) and THAT changes the meaning of the whole thing.
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That's a real bit of overreaching on your part. It's really not complicated. The word "respecting" is an adjective. An adjective modifies a noun. It describes the quality, state or action that a noun refers to.
The noun that the adjective "respecting" is modifying is the word "establishment".
Word: respecting
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: regarding
Synonyms: about, as to, concerning, in connection with, in respect to, referring to, relating to, with reference to, with regard to
Word: establishment
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: organization; creation
Synonyms: enactment, endowment, formation, formulation, foundation, founding, inauguration, installation, institution, setting up
So, in fact, what the sentence in the Constitution is saying is that Congress shall not enact any law REGARDING the CREATION of religion ...... PERIOD!!!