Real Life Establishment Clause

In class, I mentioned that our extensive treatment of the First Amendment's religion clauses reflects my personal belief that issues of free exercise and religious establishment will be increasingly important elements of our national and local political debates. A news report today on recent remarks made by Governor Perry tends to support that claim. Here is the lede:

Rick Perry, speaking on a conference call with Christian conservatives Tuesday, called the separation between church and state a false premise that is advanced by the devil.

He also said that the Obama Administration and court system are working to remove religious references from the American way of life and that is it up to “Christian warriors, Christian soldiers,” to prevent it from happening.