The Principle of Separation of Church and State

• No religious test shall be applied as a qualification for government service.
• Government may not establish one religion or group of religions to the detriment of others.
• No member of the clergy may hold public office.

Note that while the Constitution of the United States implements certain tenets of the principle of Separation of Church and State (e.g. "no religious tests" and "may not establish"), the Constitution does not implement all tenets that have been ascribed to the principle of Separation of Church and State (e.g. "clergy may not hold public office"). This observation leads us to identify a common fallacious argument, viz:

Separation Fallacy

This is analogous to an argument of the form "That animal has four legs, and dogs have four legs; therefore that animal is a dog. "

Another related form of the same fallacy has the form " The Constitution requires X, and X is a tenet of the principle of Separation of Church and State, and Y is a tenet of the principle of Separation of Church and State; therefore the Constitution requires Y."

Any argument which includes such a fallacy is invalid, and any conclusion which depends on such an argument is likewise invalid. That is, such a conclusion is neither proven nor disproven by the argument.

Last updated: August 13, 1996; Version: 1.1