RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

     Please read this to learn about religious freedom.  

Maybe you’ve wondered about the United States’ founding fathers: 

Were they Christians?  

“On the surface, most Founders appear to have been orthodox (or ‘right-believing’) Christians. Most were baptized, listed on church rolls, married to practicing Christians, and frequent or at least sporadic attenders of services of Christian worship,” according to sources.

What were their values? 

“Our founding Fathers enshrined freedom, limited government, and individual responsibility in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution,” sources say.

What is a “constitution”?

A constitution is “the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the people in it.” Our Constitution established a “federal, representative, democratic republic.”Three parts:

The U.S. Constitution has three parts: the Preamble, seven articles, and amendments. The Preamble, or introduction introduces the main purpose of the U.S. Constitution, and why it was needed.How was the U.S. born?

In 1776, in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain. General George Washington led the new “United States” and won the Revolutionary War. He became the first president.

What are America’s core beliefs?

America was founded on the idea that all people are created equal and have rights, such as liberty, free speech, freedom of religion, due process of law, and freedom of assembly.

“The American political culture centers on a set of core ideals — liberty, equality, and self-government — that serve as the people’s common bond,” sources say.

Amendments? 

Amendments are sometimes made to the U.S. Constitution. As of July 2021, we have 27 amendments that protect the rights of Americans.The first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights.

Here is the first amendment:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from promoting one religion over others and restricting an individual’s religious practices. 

The Establishment Clause:    

The “Establishment Clause” part of the first amendment prohibits the government from “establishing” a religion. That means it is illegal for the government to promote theocracy or promote a specific religion by using government taxes.

(A theocracy is a system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.) 

The Establishment Clause of the first amendment keeps us from having an official government-sponsored religion in the U.S. Our government may not give financial support to any religion or promote a religion.

The Free Exercise Clause:

The “Free Exercise Clause” part of the first amendment protects citizens’ right to practice their religion as they please, so long as the practice does not run afoul of a “public morals” or a “compelling” governmental interest.

This clause prohibits government interference with religious belief and, within limits, religious practice.

“In many states, however, the level of protection for free-exercise claims is uncertain,” sources say.    

Chief Justice Morrison Waite (1816-1888) said, “Laws are made for the government of actions, and while they cannot interfere with mere religious belief and opinions, they may [interfere] with practices.” Waite went on to state that to permit someone to use religious belief as an excuse to ignore legal requirements would “in effect … permit every citizen to become a law unto himself.”