Follow News Blog >

Freedom of Religion

Friday, July 6, 2012 12:15 PM



"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."



Right wingers are now brandishing T-shirts inscribed on the front 

with: "Freedom of religion does not mean freedom FROM religion," suggesting, of course, that the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment of the Constitution, which proscribes the government from establishing religion and prohibiting "the free exercise thereof," does not set forth the separation of Church and State. 

The First Amendment reads fully as: "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."

And there-in lies the rub for the right-wing "Constitutionalists" who insist that no rule or law can circumscribe the free exercise of religion. This means, by their reasoning, for instance, prayer in the schools and any other venue and time one chooses to exercise their specific religious practice. So in the middle of a test,  you stand up beside your desk, genuflect a dozen times, and say out loud twelve Hail Marys, and holler hallelujah to invoke divine providence for acing the test? (We all know the answer to that, right). Even if that "right" wasn't rightfully abridged by contextual school and test rules, would every student be allowed and encouraged to do their own religious/spiritual version. (Again, we all know the answer.)

Or at school (public school) assembly, the school principal starts things off by leading the Christian "Lord's Prayer," and – so as not to show preferential treatment to Christian staff and students – follows this up with the equivalency in Native American, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Shintoistic practices, etc. (Any bets on that happening?) What about National Football leaguer, Tim Tebow's exercising of religious freedom (gridiron, pre-game, on one knee prayer)? Would his American Muslim counterpart, rolling out his prayer rug toward the east, or his Jewish and Buddhist equivalents sitting on their prayer rug or meditation cushion respectively or his Native American complement burning a sage bundle be so overwhelmingly accommodated? All in the name of FREEDOM OF RELIGION. Try telling holocaust victims and their progeny that freedom of religion does not also mean freedom FROM religion. 

Consider the German census of May 1939

(6 yrs. into the Hitler period) indicating that:

54% considered themselves Protestant

40% considered themselves Catholic

3.5 % claimed to be neopagan believers.

–––––––––––––––––

Religion in Nazi Germany - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Perhaps then, If eight million Jews had had freedom from Nazi Germany’s ideological, cultural religiosity to freely celebrate Hanukkah (Chanukah) without extermination… 

You get the point, unless you're wearing one of those T-shirts.