In a message dated 9/25/00 9:32:24 PM Pacific Daylight Time, MrsLady002@aol.com writes: << Anyone who objected to the beliefs of the state church or the forms of the church services could be arrested, questioned and thrown into prison. If they refused to give up their personal beliefs, they could be tortured in an effort to make them agree with the state church. If they still refused to give up their convictions after torture, they could be executed. Many people were imprisoned, tortured and put to death. Those who were executed for their religious beliefs died painful deaths. >> This is the reason that the separation of church and state is such an important concept. It took me a long time to understand this. I was raised in an area where everyone had the same basic religious beliefs. I was shocked when I moved to an area where the differences in religion were profound and I learned that--no matter how different--there were still some basic principles which did not change. Dorothy