Religious freedom is a principle which supports all Americans to freely practice their own religion, as of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The government knew in order to protect religious liberty they needed to keep religion out of the government and separate the church from the state. So they created the First Amendment that states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…”
When it comes to religion, many people hold varying perspectives and opinions. Most people are born into the religion of their parents and choose to stay with that religion. Some do not grow up in a religious background and either choose to follow a religion, or none at all.
Many people argue about religious freedom and if it is an advantage in our country. PJ Lewis is a pastor at The Well Community Church. He agrees that having religious freedom is an advantage to our country. He believes that religious freedom allows people to worship God when and how they want and religious freedom helps make sure no one is forced to worship something they don’t want to.
“When I think that true religious freedom means that all religions have the freedom to worship when and how they want, it is pretty hard,” Lewis said. “It’s especially hard when any of those religions believe they are the only way to God, like Christianity. But I think with the difficulties that come with disagreements between different religions, and a government that can’t say which religions are right or wrong, it is still worth it.”
The United States contains a diversity of religions. Over 70% of the American population are Christians. Over 20% are Catholic. Almost 6% are non-Christian faiths, such as Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist. Almost 23% of Americans are not involved in religion, such as Atheists.
But what is religion? Many definitions of religion show the belief in a god or a belief that is very important to a person or group. Is it just something that needs to fill the empty spaces in someone’s life, is it just there for people to pick and choose as they please, or does religion actually mean something to some people? Do you need religion in your life? Some disagree.
When I think that true religious freedom means that all religions have the freedom to worship when and how they want, it is pretty hard. It’s especially hard when any of those religions believe they are the only way to God, like Christianity. But I think with the difficulties that come with disagreements between different religions, and a government that can’t say which religions are right or wrong, it is still worth it. — PJ Lewis
At public schools, teacher Terry Richards experienced students having freedom to express their religion if they also respected the religions of others. Richards is pleased that he teaches at Fresno Christian because he possesses the freedom to express his faith and encourage others to investigate Jesus Christ as their savior without feeling afraid to get in trouble.
“Christians are grateful for the religious freedom we have,” Richards said. “I think we do have the same freedoms as other religions, but there seems to be, these days, a concerted effort to remove all vestiges of our Judeo-Christian heritage. This country was founded on the basis of freedom of religion and the freedoms Christians believed God gave all humans.”
Public schools allow students to express their religious faith, as long as it does not interfere with the school’s teachings. Jonah Lozano, ’19, likes going to a private school because of the ability to openly talk about God.
“At public schools it’s an insult to talk about God for some reason to other kids with different religions,” Lozano said. “Like when we used to be able to bring bibles to public schools, but nowadays that’s frowned upon. I think that religious freedom is an advantage to our country because everyone can be happy with their own religion.”
Most public schools are allowed to talk about evolution but not Christianity. Junior Hannah Nale thinks that is very unfair. She believes that students that have the privilege of going to a Christian school have not only the freedom to worship God but the opportunity.
“We have less conflicts between people because they want to believe their own thing,” Nale said. “It would be ideal to have a country full of Christians but God gives each one of us the freedom to choose. By having religious freedom here in America gives Christians the opportunity to grow freely in what they believe.”
National Religious Freedom Day took place on Jan. 16, 2016. It memorialized the day Thomas Jefferson’s landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was adopted by the Virginia General Assembly. It serves as a reminder that all Americans have the freedom and right to practice their own religion.
This writer can be contacted via Twitter: @schultz_kamryn and via Email: Kamryn Schultz.
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