What does "Separation of Church and State" mean?

[Angrboda]

Madison seemed to be under the impression that he had written it into the Constitution (italics mine):

"Ye States of America, which retain in your Constitution or Codes, any aberration from the sacred principle of religious liberty, by giving to Caesar what belongs to God, or joining together what God has put asunder, hasten to revise & purify your systems, and make the example of your Country as pure & compleat, in what relates to the freedom of the mind and its allegiance to its maker, as in what belongs to the legitimate objects of political & civil institutions. Strongly guarded as is the separation between Religion & Govt. in the Constitution of the United States the danger of encroachment by Ecclesiastical Bodies, may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history."--James Madison; "Detached Memoranda," date of authorship unknown, estimated between 1817 and 1832

Is Thomas Jefferson important in 20/21 th century USA?
I always see united statians quoting these oldies.
Thomas Jefferson time is over. He died. His family and friends died as well a long time ago.

Decide for yourself what kind of a world you want to live in. Decide for yourself if you want a separation of church and state. Discuss the benefits and losses instead of quoting what some guy from another century has said.

PS: I'm in Canada. I've never seen anyone quote some canadian politician from long ago when it comes to deciding on important questions of today.

--Ferrocyanide

The point is that American government is a descendant of English law in which individual rights and precedent are paramount. It's fine to break with the past so long as those still living under a structure built from those past precedents is on board with it. Breaking with the past in a way which breaks what isn't broken--precedent and continuity-- is illegitimate and dangerous. The future needs to build on the past if for no other reason that that is where the mandate for and rules for breaking from the past come from. Just taking a left turn out of nowhere without any previous structural restraint simply ain't cricket. It's like changing the rules of chess in midgame--once you start with some rules, unless you're going to start a new game, you should follow through with those rules. Especially the rules about making changes.