Freedom of Religion... Freedom From Religion?
A Christian Nation
We have been beat over the head with the constitution since we were in our first American History class when we were in middle school. Seriously. I cannot tell you how many times growing up I would hear my teacher preach about the sanctity of the constitution and how every president shaves our freedom away. My first American History teacher was really skeptical of how much anti-christian and pro-Islam movements that there were taking. He also didn't like how it was becoming a fad to be rebellious atheist. "We are a christian nation!" He would constantly say over and over again. "A nation built by Christians and for Christians!"
For the longest time I was made to believe that this country was indeed a Christian nation, but as I got older and discovered that this definitely wasn't the case, I felt super super betrayed. We are not a Christian nation not in the sense that we don't go to church and don't practice Christianity, but we are legally protected from being a Christian nation in the constitution.
The first amendment reads:
The first amendment reads:
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 to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
The first line of the first amendment tells us right up front that the United States' congress cannot pass any law establishing religion of any type.... this also means that people who do not practice a religion are also free from lawful scrutiny of any type and can't have religion forced onto their lives.
The first line of the first amendment tells us right up front that the United States' congress cannot pass any law establishing religion of any type.... this also means that people who do not practice a religion are also free from lawful scrutiny of any type and can't have religion forced onto their lives.
Okay, we're not a christian nation... so what?
The problem is that we most definitely aren't a christian nation, but many public officials and decisions in the past have proven that our politicians don't always think so. As learned from the beginning of the semester in our first reading, the pledge of allegiance was originally written by a socialist, but had later had "one nation under God," added to them.
Did you know that our country's official motto is In God We Trust? This was a change made to the US in the 1950's during the Red Scare to try and steer away from communism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A36Iq5qNukQ
Did you know that our country's official motto is In God We Trust? This was a change made to the US in the 1950's during the Red Scare to try and steer away from communism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A36Iq5qNukQ
This type of religious thinking has also made some really big changes to our government. For instance, in 2015, the RFRA or (Religious Freedrom Rights Act) in Indiana originally could be used as grounds for business owners to discriminate against their customers on any grounds that would violate their religions.
So I ask you all today, do you agree that this country is a religious nation? The constitution says other wise, but precedent says another thing? What are the repercussions of having such a country?
So I ask you all today, do you agree that this country is a religious nation? The constitution says other wise, but precedent says another thing? What are the repercussions of having such a country?
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ReplyDeleteI believe that our country claims to be a lot of things that it is not. America's claim to have a separation of church and state was made when everyone who was in power and had money was of the same, or at least similar, faith. Those who did not were not provided with the resources to voice their perspectives. So, while our "founding fathers" claimed that their state decisions were "separate from church", religion drove most of those decisions. The religious motivations behind state decisions were not met with opposition because of the foundation of a common religion or moral code. Now, over 200 years later, some still state that we value the separation of church and state. But when it comes to certain policies, such as abortion, religion is allowed to be cited in opposition. I like how you talked about your history teacher's perspectives. I, too, had some teachers who had radical opinions about what the "founding fathers" intended for today's America. I think there is an interesting dichotomy between the pride people take in Christian America and the pride people take in America as a "melting pot".
ReplyDeleteThis is a topic that I think needs to be discussed more often and in a more unbiased manner in our world today. To me, there is something inherently wrong with the idea that the United States often preaches of being a "melting-pot" nation when there are so many aspects at its core that still remain Christian-focused. I do not believe that any religion is invalid, but I storngly believe that one religion should not be hald to a higher validity than another, and that is what I often feel happens in the United States today. The repercussions these beliefs and practices cause can be dire and long-lasting. If someone lives in the United States and feels as if they are being discriminated against for practicing a religion other than Christianity, or if they feel as if they are "lesser-than" for doing so simply because the US is a "Christian country," there is definitely something that needs to be addressed.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Constitution is not to blame for the "Christian country" that America is often viewed. As we know, the document does alludes to a separation of Church and State when it comes to laws and country decisions. However, the people whom live and operate under the Constitution do not follow these guidelines. It is the people who make, pass, and argue over laws and their religious value that create the "Christian country" of America. Not the Constitution. The Founding Fathers may have written the document, but they had no way of knowing how it would be used in today's world. Also, remember that the Pilgrims and Puritans that first came to America to escape England did so for religious freedom. So while there may be suspicions about the religious background of the Fathers, they did specifically state "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." in the Constitution. So while they themselves may or may not have been religious in their own right, they made sure that the future of the country would not be run religiously like England was hundreds of years ago.
ReplyDelete"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."
ReplyDeleteThis is an expert from the first amendment directly, I think people should directly take this as an example to what this says. There is a difference between church and state but we should also be focusing on, the equality that we don't usually see. We claim to be a land of the free but there is a lot grey area that comes with that.
Overall, I am really glad to see this being talked about because this is something that needs to be addressed.
I don't think America is a religious nation primarily. Church and State are separate which isn't the case in most other countries, and many people want to remove "in God we trust" from the pledge and from our money. I do think though, that the freedom to be religious is higher here than any other country because in this country you can be any religion whereas most countries there is only really one accepted faith. We are not a religious country per se, but I know atheists that support catholics and vice versa. I come from a catholic family but am becoming buddhist and my family is supportive. There's a higher level of religious tolerance in our country.
ReplyDelete