Separation of Church and State

Apparently the phrase "Separation of Church and State" does not appear in the United States constitution. It was introduced as a part of the first amendment as "the wall of separation between church and state." One of the first references to this idea is by Thomas Jefferson in a letter he wrote to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802, stating "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god, [the people, in the 1st Amendment,] declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state." "In 1785, Jefferson drafted a bill that was designed to squash an attempt by some to provide taxes for the purpose of furthering religious education. He wrote that such support for religion was counter to a natural right of man:'... no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.'"
If the separation of Church and State is apart of our national constitution, then why was such a big deal made about Barack Obama possibly being Muslim? About his having a crazy pastor, Reverend Jeremiah White? Why is "under God" in the pledge of allegiance? Why is "In God We Trust" stamped on all of our coins and dollars? Why do people have to swear on the Bible in court? Why are all political speeches ended with "God bless America?" Why was prayer in school even an option? Religion and "polytricks" cross and conincide often and though politicians may like to assume that there is a separation between the Church and the State, there are many instances that prove otherwise. Actually, the only way that I can think of their separate is through the exemption of places of Worship in paying taxes. A Time magazine from January 1934 states, "Of the $20,000,000,000 worth of U. S. property exempt from taxation, nearly one quarter is owned by churches." If that was the cost back in the 1930's, the numbers must be astronomical now. This suppose separation does not appear consistent or in some cases, even legal.

This is a link to the website where I found the information on the Constitution

Time Article- Religion: Church Taxes