No society can be truly free without complete separation of church and state. Nor can any individual be truly free if they are denied the rights to freedom of religion, and when they desire it, freedom from religion. Our constitutionally mandated "Wall of Separation" between church and state must not be torn down, or even weakened in the slightest. All breaches and gaps in the wall must be closed or repaired. The rights of all of us to freedom of religion AND freedom from religion must be preserved.

The United States is not now and never has been a Christian nation. Had the framers desired to establish a theocracy, Christian or otherwise, they would have written this into the Constitution. In fact, the United States declared, in Article 11 of the Treaty of Tripoli, that "The Government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion." As our Constitution has been amended down through the years, particularly with the First and Fourteenth Amendments, we have deliberately chosen to establish an increasingly secular nation for an increasingly diverse population within our borders.

Our secularity is exhibited by prohibiting religious tests for any public office or trust; by making the Constitution the supreme law of the land, binding on all judges and every state; and by giving those elected or appointed to a public office or a public trust the right to be bound by either oath or affirmation, thereby recognizing the rights of theists and non-theists, as was originally written into Article VI of the Constitution.

The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights erected what Thomas Jefferson called the "Wall of Separation." It guarantees both freedom of religion, and freedom from religion, to all Americans. The Fourteenth Amendment extends the rights granted by the First Amendment to everyone by binding each state and all of their officials to the same standards previously only applicable to Congress and its laws.

From time to time this "Wall of Separation" has come under attack by those who seek to impose their beliefs upon us all. Beginning with small, allegedly "non controversial" changes, such as replacing the national motto of "E Pluribus Unum" with "In God We Trust," and adding "One Nation under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, they have incrementally fostered an erroneous belief that we are a religious nation. These same people have attached ugly labels to Americans who wish to exercise their right to freedom from religion. And now they seek to completely destroy the "Wall of Separation" between church and state through the process of Constitutional Amendment. We cannot sit silently and allow this.

Saving and restoring the "Wall of Separation" between church and state, and securing, protecting, and maintaining the rights to freedom from religion, as being equally important as freedom of religion, are the essential principles around which this Coalition is formed. The Coalition invites all individuals and organizations that share our goals, purpose, and principles to join with us, in any capacity, to give greater voice to our common cause.

The Coalition shall be an umbrella organization for other organizations to accomplish coordinated action, as well as a resource for individuals who need assistance. As such, participation shall always be voluntary, and there shall be no hierarchical authority over our members. All actions shall be determined and carried out by consensus, with individual members free to join or stay away. The only condition for membership is agreement with the Coalition's stated goals, purpose, and principles.