Cite as: 530 U. S. 793 (2000)
Souter, J., dissenting
contribute three pence only of his property for the support of any one establishment, may force him to conform to any other establishment." Memorial and Remonstrance ¶ 3, reprinted in Everson v. Board of Ed. of Ewing, 330 U. S. 1, 64, 65-66 (1947). Any tax to establish religion is antithetical to the command "that the minds of men always be wholly free." Id., at 12 (discussing Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance); id., at 13 (noting Jefferson's belief that "compel[ling] a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves, is sinful and tyrannical; . . . even the forcing him to support this or that teacher of his own religious persuasion, is depriving him of the comfortable liberty of giving his contributions to the particular pastor, whose morals he would make his pattern" (internal quotation marks omitted)); see also Rosenberger v. Rector and Visitors of Univ. of Va., 515 U. S. 819, 868-874 (1995) (Souter, J., dissenting).
Second, government aid corrupts religion. See Engel v. Vitale, 370 U. S. 421, 431 (1962) ("[The Establishment Clause's] first and most immediate purpose rested on the belief that a union of government and religion tends to destroy government and to degrade religion"); Everson, supra, at 53 (Rutledge, J., dissenting). Madison argued that establishment of religion weakened the beliefs of adherents so favored, strengthened their opponents, and generated "pride and indolence in the Clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; [and] in both, superstition, bigotry and persecution." Memorial and Remonstrance ¶ 7, quoted in Everson, 330 U. S., at 67. "[E]xperience witnesseth that ecclesiastical establishments, instead of maintaining the purity and efficacy of Religion, have had a contrary operation." Ibid. In a variant of Madison's concern, we have repeatedly noted that a government's favor to a particular religion or sect threatens to taint it with "corrosive secularism." Lee v. Weisman, 505 U. S. 577, 608 (1992) (internal quotation marks and citations omitted); see also Illinois ex rel. McCollum v. Board
871
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