--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The current version of... separation of…" description: "\"The current version of... separation of church and state says you can be salt, and you can be light, but only inside the four walls of the church.\" — D..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/david-barton-18163_christian_the-current-version-of-separation-of-chu_1811689.jpg" --- # The current version of... separation of church and state… ![“The current version of... separation of church and state says you can be salt, and you can be light, but only inside the four walls of the church.” quote by David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/david-barton-18163_christian_the-current-version-of-separation-of-chu_1811689.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/david-barton-18163_christian_the-current-version-of-separation-of-chu_1811689.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/david-barton-18163_christian_the-current-version-of-separation-of-chu_1811689.jpg) > “The current version of... separation of church and state says you can be salt, and you can be light, but only inside the four walls of the church.” [David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He critiques the separation of church and state, arguing it limits religious influence to church walls only. **In simple terms:** Separation limits religious influence to churches. Key Takeaway Advocate broader public religious expression. Themes religion politics freedom Mood debate provocative Type political philosophical When to use this quote - political activism - community organizing - legal challenges - public policy Key Concepts church-state separation public discourse Questions to Reflect On - Should religion influence public life? - How to balance faith and civic duties? A Different Perspective May conflict with pluralistic values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Church and state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church-and-state/) [Four walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four-walls/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Separation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separation/) [Separation of church and state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/separation-of-church-and-state/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) ## Related quotes > [The Bible says we are to be salt and light. And salt and light means not just in the church and not just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-harris/the-bible-says-we-are-to-be-salt-and-light-and-salt-and-light-means/) [Katherine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-harris/) > [The woman who does her job for society inside the four walls of her home must not be considered by her husband or anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-barnett-gilson/the-woman-who-does-her-job-for-society-inside-the-four-walls-of-her/) [Mary Barnett Gilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-barnett-gilson/) > [There should be absolutely no 'Separation of Church and State' in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/there-should-be-absolutely-no-separation-of-church-and-state-in/) [David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) > [Separation of church and state is the big club pulled out to beat back the Christians .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/separation-of-church-and-state-is-the-big-club-pulled-out-to-beat/) [David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) > [“Being salt and light demands two things: we practice purity in the midst of a fallen world and yet we live in proximity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kinnaman/being-salt-and-light-demands-two-things-we-practice-purity-in-the/) [David Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kinnaman/) > [Quite often you hear people say, 'What about separation of church and state?' There is no such thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-severson/quite-often-you-hear-people-say-what-about-separation-of-church-and/) Dan Severson > [They have kept us in submission because they have talked about separation of church and state. There is no such thing in the Constitution.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/they-have-kept-us-in-submission-because-they-have-talked-about/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [The fact that religion plays such a part in how people vote troubles me, troubles me as a minister's daughter. Because I always felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/the-fact-that-religion-plays-such-a-part-in-how-people-vote-troubles/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) > [The separation of church and state is a suburban, not an urban, issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/the-separation-of-church-and-state-is-a-suburban-not-an-urban-issue/) [Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/) > [I disagree strongly with the concept of separation of church and state. It was not written into the Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-buck/i-disagree-strongly-with-the-concept-of-separation-of-church-and/) [Ken Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-buck/) > [I questioned the faithful of all communions; I particularly sought the society of clergymen, who are the depositories of the various creeds and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-questioned-the-faithful-of-all-communions-i-particularly-sought-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [ I do not make decisions \[as governor\] based on what have I learned through my Bible studies, what have I learned in my religious… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/i-do-not-make-decisions-as-governor-based-on-what-have-i-learned/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [Where in the Constitution is the separation of church and state?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-o-donnell/where-in-the-constitution-is-the-separation-of-church-and-state/) [Christine O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-o-donnell/) > [“I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. ... These two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-m-completely-in-favor-of-the-separation-of-church-and-state-these/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by David Barton > [The Founders believed that pluralism survived only within the concept of religious liberty espoused by American Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/the-founders-believed-that-pluralism-survived-only-within-the-concept/) [David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) > [“Another aspect of behavior directly impacted by the removal of religious principles was morality. 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As historian George Marsden affirmed, “\[I\]t is not much of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/it-s-interesting-that-many-of-the-best-instructors-in-early-america/) [David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) > [“I have never seen a contemporary history book that informs students that witch trials were also occurring across the world at that time with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/i-have-never-seen-a-contemporary-history-book-that-informs-students/) [David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) > [Literacy is part of everyday social practice - it mediates all aspects of everyday life. Literacy is always part of something else - we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/literacy-is-part-of-everyday-social-practice-it-mediates-all-aspects/) [David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) > [We do have a Godly heritage in America, but we have been robbed - robbed by the 3 percent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/we-do-have-a-godly-heritage-in-america-but-we-have-been-robbed-robbed/) [David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) > [Recent decades clearly demonstrate that the more secular our Public Schools become the less successful they become academically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/recent-decades-clearly-demonstrate-that-the-more-secular-our-public/) [David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) > [It is evident from their writings that the Founding Fathers would never have tolerated the separation that we have embraced today. They knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/it-is-evident-from-their-writings-that-the-founding-fathers-would/) [David Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) [Explore all 35 David Barton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/) ## More Christian quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. 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Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) [Browse all 14,306 Christian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The current version of... separation of church and state says you can be salt, and you can be light, but only inside the four walls of the church.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Barton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/the-current-version-of-separation-of-church-and-state-says-you-can-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Christian" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/the-current-version-of-separation-of-church-and-state-says-you-can-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/david-barton-18163_christian_the-current-version-of-separation-of-chu_1811689.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/david-barton-18163_christian_the-current-version-of-separation-of-chu_1811689.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30c/david-barton-18163_christian_the-current-version-of-separation-of-chu_1811689.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The current version of... separation of church and state says you can be salt, and you can be light, but…” — David Barton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Barton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-barton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The current version of... separation of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/the-current-version-of-separation-of-church-and-state-says-you-can-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-barton/the-current-version-of-separation-of-church-and-state-says-you-can-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```