![]() Many think these are issues America cannot afford to address right now. That’s why mass shootings still surprise us. A belief that we are exceptional, God’s chosen people, keeps us from recognizing the problems we have had historically and also today. However, we should not be generous on the basis of greatness, but because we are one among all nations, and called to helpful, healthy interrelationships. Holding or not holding this belief determines “loyalty” to the country. American Christian nationalism is based on the belief that America is divinely established and superior to other countries. Christian nationalism encourages white supremacy and racial subjugation. It implies that people of other religions don’t belong in the United States. It implies that to be a good American, one must be a certain kind of Christian, and have a certain kind of politics. ![]() Over the years I’ve seen this American Civil Religion become entwined with the fundamentalist evangelical right, morphing into a Christian nationalism, distorting both American identity and Christianity. There were Chinese restrictions and Japanese internment camps. They didn’t fit into the story of “discovery.” Nor did God’s “covenantal people” incorporate the enslaved people brought against their will. America’s myth of origin did not include the 550 distinct native tribes already here. American exceptionalism derived from this story of a chosen people with a promised land. Robert Bellah in his significant 1967 article “Civil Religion in America” wrote that many believed God created this chosen people to come across the biblical Red Sea (the Atlantic Ocean), to conquer the continent. It is not a matter of choosing between the two, nor “finding a balance,” The two need to go together. The Free Exercise Clause ensures the right to practice one’s faith, whatever that is, in the United States. However, the First Amendment Establishment Clause protects against governmental endorsement and imposition of religion giving privilege to all religions without discrimination. Constitution is the top banner on the Register’s Opinion section: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Many people focus on the Second Amendment, as though it is the only important one in the Bill of Rights. She was born in Des Moines and now lives in Mason City.Norma Cook Everist, distinguished professor emerita at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, was previously a lecturer at Yale Divinity School. One of the main ways the government interacts with schools is through funding. Many Supreme Court cases have focused on whether various religious practices unconstitutionally break the law. We can find religious freedom in the Bill of Rights, specifically in the First Amendment! Below is the text: The Bill of Rights (made up of the first ten amendments to the Constitution) would include a list of rights that the government couldn't violate. However, when the Constitution went to the states for ratification, some of them said they would only agree to ratify if a Bill of Rights was added. When Congress came together in 1787 for the Constitutional Convention, they mostly focused on creating the framework for the government. The first draft of the Constitution didn't include any individual rights, including freedom of religion. Citizens are allowed to practice whatever religion they want.įreedom of religion is found in the Constitution - specifically in the Bill of Rights! Constitution.The government can't interfere with individuals' religious practices.The government doesn't favor or inhibit any religion over another religion (or non-religion).The government doesn't follow a religion.Freedom of Religion Definitionįreedom of religion is one of the individual rights protected by the Constitution. The United States Constitution seeks to protect citizens' religious beliefs while ensuring that neither the government nor its citizens can abuse others in the name of religion. But it can be difficult to decide how to protect freedom of religion while ensuring it doesn't infringe on the rights of others. ![]() What if studying for school was against my religious beliefs? Or following road signs? Religion and spirituality have been an important part of humanity for centuries as we develop our culture and societies.
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