The Bottom line..
..is that these things are the direct outcome of the evolution of individual rights vs. royal prerogative in England, and in particular the right to be Protestant. It's practically a racial memory. This was embodied in the "Bill of Rights" and "Toleration Acts" of 1689, which were enacted after the abuses of the Catholic King James II. At the same time these rights were coming into being, the English prevented the King from simply dissolving Parliament at his whim, and set an election schedule that had to be strictly followed. It is no accident that our own Consitution follows this same pattern of strictly defining the form of government, as well as the intent in the Bill of Rights. The intent is clearly to keep government and religion apart, and so any amount of legal argumentation needed will be resorted to, to ensure that it happens.
Now the odd thing is, racial memories can fade. Just as important as church-state wall is the suspicion of standing armies and the right to bear arms in self-defense. This aspect of the issue has been all but forgotten.
