The Bill of Rights, were originally 17 proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ten of which were approved, ratified and made a permanent addition the constitution. The people and the states saw the need to protect individual liberties after their experience dealing with the centralized power of a monarch. These rights are seen as fundamental rights that the people must possess in order to maintain a free nation. Yet, have these rights been abolished by modern laws and the actions of our modern government? In this series we will look at a few of these guaranteed rights and how modern government treats them and may be on the brink of abolishing them.
Amendment I
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
This statement in the First Amendment was not included in the constitution in order to form a “wall” that blocked religious beliefs from being expressed in government or the public square. This guaranteed right simply prevented the government from establishing a government religion, in which people were coerced to respect and pay taxes to a particular church.
Several European countries still have a state endorsed church and some collect taxes on behalf of the church. The First Amendment prevented that from happening in America.
Yet, in the last few decades our government has stepped beyond the original intent of the constitution and created a fake “wall of separation” that blocked the ability of Christians from expressing their beliefs anywhere other than their homes and places of worship.
For example, military chaplains and other military personnel are being reprimanded for expressing their religious beliefs. Teachers are being told they cannot have a bible or anything of a religious nature on their desk. Christians are being persecuted by the government for following their biblical beliefs and even reading the bible in public places.
However, after removing Christianity from the public square, the government fills the void by endorsing morals and other belief systems that run contrary to Christianity, but Christians are still forced to comply. Schools have forced children to participate in yoga and Islamic prayer activities with the threat of failure if they don’t comply. When Christian parents ask to have their children removed from the program the parents are banned from the school grounds. Yet, taxpayer dollars are used to install Muslim foot-washing stations and prayer rooms in schools and airports.
We are living in a day and age when government at all levels feel they have the power to regulate Christian beliefs, while also forcing Christians to comply with state endorsed morals and yielding, or even paying for special accommodations for religious teachings and practices of state endorsed groups.
Clearly, government endorsement of religion, or hostility of one religion over another was something the First Amendment was designed to block government from doing and not stopping kids and teachers from praying around the schools flagpole, while forcing them to pray Islamic prayers.
Clearly, government endorsement of religion, or hostility of one religion over another was something the First Amendment was designed to block government from doing and not stopping kids and teachers from praying around the schools flagpole, while forcing them to pray Islamic prayers.
