Refresher Course
I saw this today on CNN.com and thought it would a good opportunity to remind people what the 1st Amendment means.
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.Seems simple enough, right? The story is about an atheist soldier who is claiming harassment from other soldiers and officers. This guy is out there putting his life on the line, religious beliefs couldn't be any less important. He should be able to worship how he wishes, even if it means not at all. If the tables were turned, if the atheist soldier was harassing Christians, you KNOW that he would be crucified in the media (pun intended.) The 1st Amendment guarantees that citizens can follow any faith they want without punishment and that no religion will be forced upon them; I'm fairly certain that it applies to the Federal Government.
2 comments:
I oftened wondered at this ammendment - it's unfortunate the bill of rights couldn't say "congress AND the supreme court shall make no law..etc." I think government - especially the judicial branch - is too involved in religion. Government should stay out of religion. Don't touch it. That's my consitutionalist interpretation. Government has touched religion too much. Hi Jeff.
I agree, but sometimes it's unavoidable. We read a boat-load of cases about how and when someone can exercise their religion, simply because there are some, dare I say, WACKY religions. Like Santeria. I don't practice Santeria, and I ain't got no crystal ball.
Anyway, sometimes I get the feeling that people interpret "freedom of religion" to mean that you only get that freedom if you have a religion.
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