I think the Convention chose the words carefully. Jefferson was often an out-tier at times but is cited today because he most fits with the progressive agenda (even then, they cite him out of context 70-80% of the time). Keep in mind that Jefferson was the only Cabinet member that George Washington had to fire. George Washington held the most respect/sway of any Founding Father at the time but is rarely quoted today.
Go read the letter from Jefferson that has the phrase (I doubt you have ever read it). My biggest issue with most modern Americans is they shout opinions without actually doing the research on the subject matter.
The key issue is that the local governments were supposed to manage these items, not Washington D.C. Now the 14th Amendment changed that to a degree and it was partially built out of the fact that local governments often served as means to oppress individuals they didn't like.
The fact is that no one had any issues with religion in schools until the 1960s when the Supreme Court, basically, made up law. There is a reason the current Supreme Court is moving away from a lot of their rulings. They were problematic from the start.
I think our government is a total mess because we didn't follow the original intent which was to let local governments decide this issue. IMO, the issue of whether the Ten Commandments should be in school or not should be decided by local School Boards, not State Legislatures or Congress.
As Americans, if we want true freedom (as was intended), we should push for less Government Control at the Federal and even State levels and push for more control in our Counties and Cities. We can meet these people (often face-to-face), post on their Facebook pages, etc. We have more management/control.
The Federal Government should be more about diplomacy, military, managing the post office (that is a Constitutional Power), interstate commerce (customs/immigration), and high-level management. Not controlling every aspect of our life.
