How does the expression of gratitude to God by the people grant their Government authority over their relgion?
What familiar requisitions? How does allowing a depontent to chose between a religious oath or a secular affirmation come to mean that the people granted the government authority over the support or encouragement of the duty which they owe to their Creator?
One state out of fourty five was populated by Un-Christian religious bigots who conditioned one's right to serve as a juror or to be a witness on one's religion. It was the exception, not the rule.
Delaware was one of three states out of fourty five states had a religious test for its civil officers. It was the exception, not the rule.
That provision was abolished in 1833, which proves that the people of Massachusetts in 1890 did not want their government supporting religion.
That is the same language that was included in the Northwestern Ordinance, which Congress and the Courts held did not require the government to support the gospel.
I agree with you to a certain extent. They did NOT want a theocracy. Most of them had lived under a tyrannical semi-theocracy and so that was the last think they wanted. And I can accept that at times they avoided anything to do with it. But to say there was "no government support of religion" is in my opinion inaccurate wording. Again, I could fill up 20 pages of links showing all the Bible verses and references to God in the governmental documents and monuments of that time period. The people of that time in general clearly wanted religion in government but also generally clearly wanted to avoid any chance of another tyrannical semi-theocracy.