Philosoraptor

Sorry, it's a myth. Nowhere in the constitution does it say that there is to be a separation of church and state. It says:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

I know, the term came from Thomas Jefferson who mentioned "building a wall of separation between Church and State". Ironically he was assuring religious leaders that the government would not infringe in the free practice of religion. Today that term has been misinterpreted to mean protecting government from the influence of religion.

more like "bastardized" than "misinterpreted".

To your point, in small communities lacking a suitable physical location, very often a church fills the bill nicely.

The only separation is when they are declared tax exempt.