Freedom Of Religion In America Essay

America has always been known as “Land of the Free” for a reason. The Bill of Rights, in its constitution, states the many liberties of the people such as speech, press, petition, etc. The 12th amendment even affirms that the states and people have rights not directly listed in the constitution. However, one freedom has been frequently called into question: the freedom of religion. The shining exterior of the 1st amendment proclaims absolute freedom of religion, but underneath in the actual politics of America, the “freedom” fades. Although people do have the option to choose and worship whatever they want, evidence surfaces that certain religions are more “acceptable” than others, and provide more advantages, and others with disadvantages. Religion can

affect a person’s place in society. Social class may not be directly affiliated with religion, however a person’s religion may influence their class due to certain predispositions, which can limit or benefit a person’s social mobility.
Certain religions and people tend to inhabit specific economic and social classes. But first, to analyze this topic, it’s necessary to define class exactly. The definition of class causes confusion and debate amongst scholars. The most common perception of a person’s class is based on their income, but other details affect a person’s class as well. One view offers the idea that the driving force between a person’s class is their power (Mirola). Whether it be political, economic, or social, a person’s power defines which class they belong to in the social hierarchy. This power can be to control their own life. A person in the higher class, who tend to be wealthy, have more control over what they do and what happens to them than a person in the lower class. This power can also have different factors like race, gender, and sexual orientation, but this discussion will be independent of those topics.
Some religions tend to belong to certain classes, while other offer to ability to move to another class. Protestants apparently have greater opportunities to rise in their class as compared to Catholics, meaning that Protestants have more privileges and therefore maintain high classes (Swatos). One reason for the dominance of the Protestant religion can be traced back to 1920s America. Janine Drake, assistant Professor of History at the University of Great Falls, explains in her book Between Religion and Politics: THE WORKING CLASS RELIGIOUS LEFT that the protestant leaders set up “Seventh Day Churches” that offered accessible places of worship and community (Drake 224). They mostly catered to the white working class (Drake 242). These churches built a strong foundation for the augmentation of the Protestant faith due to their appeal to populous working class, white —the most privileged race in America— Americans. And so, over time, Protestants rose in power and class. Education also affects class, though not always as explicit. According to Nation Under God study done in 1993, a higher percentage of Jewish, Unitarian, and Episcopal (a Protestant religion) followers have graduated with 4-year degrees, which automatically offers them an advantage in social mobility upwards as compared to those that don’t. The lowest percentages of people, according to the study, were Pentecostal, Baptist, and Jehovah's witnesses. While these observations merely demonstrate tendencies, they do beg the question: does religion directly impact a person’s class?
Contrary to fact that the constitution dictates freedom and equality of worship, all religions have a stereotype and prejudice. Back in the 1920s of America, growing nativism and isolationism intensified prejudice and xenophobia. During this time, The Ku Klux Klan — a white supremacist organization who targeted African-Americans, Catholics, etc — rose to prominence due to these feelings, and it had heavy impact in American politics. The KKK created success for the Republican party by implementing its conservative positions, and they also were a proponent for immigration restriction (McClymer). The current position of the targets of the KKK represent the effect it had on America, like Catholics who mostly occupy middle to lower class positions. While position of some of its members, Christian and Protestant, occupy middle to upper class positions (Nation Under God). These are systemic prejudices, and the past discrimination still shows as Catholics, although Christians, still fit in the lower parts of the class hierarchy.
In this modern era, people view Judaism but also Islam with the most hate. From 2000 to 2013, the FBI found that hate crimes targeting Muslims augmented, but still the Jewish population was the most “hated” in America (Rowatt). The target on Muslims mostly likely stems from the threatening attacks from radical muslims against other religions and the United States. Wade Rowatt, a professor of psychology at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, specializing in psychology of religion, explains the reasoning behind this fear and hate: “...religious intolerance and prejudice are likely byproducts of how human brains process perceived threats...human minds very quickly categorize individuals into social groups” (Rowatt). But, in contrast to the fear, the appeal of certain Christian and Protestant religions also offer a reason for their dominance. Theologian H. Richard Niebuhr has a theory of “Churches of the Disinherited” from 1929. The theory states that certain religions will rise to power because of their worship style that appeals to lower class people, therefore making it more widespread and accepted, and so increasing its dominance (Schwadel). And so, we have clarified the bias against and for certain religions, but there still exists the idea of its relation to class.
The social mobility and starting economic and social class of a person can be dependent on to which religion they adhere. Being in the lower class can be one’s starting out position, but as the American Dream proudly proclaims: with hard work and dedication, you can do anything! But, will these barriers of bias, that cannot always be possible. A position in the lower class can also allude to limited social mobility. Jobs can aid in social mobility by offering income opportunities, however employers can base a person’s value on their religion rather than their actual qualification. This issue brings up two different viewpoints, as expressed by Ira Lupu, a professor at the George Washington University Law School. Hiring based on anything other that the person’s character is discriminatory, but Lupu also says “... to maintain the distinctive character and nature of their respective religious missions, these groups must take religion into account when hiring employees” (Billitteri). These stereotypes of a person based on their religion inhibit that person’s opportunity to rise in class.
In America, islamophobia grows everyday to due widespread fear, and its effects on Muslims can be detrimental.

Surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life show that Muslims in 2009 occupy the lower-middle to low class, with only 16% making more than $100,000 and 35% making less than $30,000 (Pew Research). Proclaimed author and executive officer of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, William H. Swatos says in agreement that research “suggests that religion exerts an influence in three areas….educational admissions, occupational selection, and career mobility” (Swatos). A case from 2013, posted on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, explains how a Muslim man sued Wal-Mart because of their treatment towards him based on “...his religion (Islam)” and also his “national origin (Gambia)” (EEOC). A quote from one of his supervisors about the reasoning behind their treatments towards his employee: “Muslims are terrorists and blow things up”. The blatant accusation obviously has no footing to be taken seriously, but sadly this idea persists; because of these stereotypes, bias and prejudice can shape the economic opportunities of followers of a specific

religion.
It was quite obvious that throughout the ages of America, we have learned to become more accepting to other religions and view them as equals. But, as shown, the prejudices and limited opportunities still exist. This topic, while controversial and debatable, holds relevance in our everyday lives. And while you personally may not face this issue later on in life, someone you know will. There are those, however, that claim the issue is municipal and not very relevant. But discrimination is discrimination. This idea that persists, that one religion like Protestantism outweighs another like Islam, goes against everything that America supposedly stands for. Just because one originates or occupies one class does not mean they are of a certain faith, but the reverse is a reality. Certain religions maintain certain classes due to lingering discrimination and present bias because of how it affects their social mobility.