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Religious freedom in america essay
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This governing belief is celebrated by liberal parts of American society. At the time of the country’s founding a huge majority of its people were followers of the Christian faith. So, while separation of church and state was accepted at a small level, there was hardly ever any need to enforce it. Since more waves of colonists arrived on the country’s shores, bringing with them their native religious and cultural inheritances, this principle found a more common application in problems of public disagreement. Although liberal politicians and reporters really appreciated this separation. Also, among the group of scholars now recognized as the founding fathers of the country, there were different opinions and disagreements. Some were pro-slavery
The reasoning behind the Constitution of the United States is presented as 'based upon the philosophy of Hobbes and the religion of Calvin. It assumes the natural state of mankind in a state of war, and that the carnal mind is at enmity with God.' Throughout, the struggle between democracy and tyranny is discussed as the Founding Fathers who envisioned the Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787 believed not in total democracy, but instead saw common man as selfish and contemptuous, and therefore in need of a 'a good political constitution to control him.' Being a largely propertied body, with the exception of William Few, who was the only one who could honestly be said to represent the majority yeoman farmer class, the highly privileged classes were fearful of granting man his due rights, as the belief that 'man was an unregenerate rebel who has to be controlled' reverberated.
The American political notions we practice today take root from early colonial times. Our political understanding had its genesis as early as the 17th century, which stemmed from the writings of intellectuals, such as John Winthrop and William Penn. Equipped with these convictions, both Winthrop and Penn brought about visions of how their respective colonies will be structured in the New World. John Winthrop wrote The Modell of Christian Charity as a platform to lead a group of Puritan refugees in the colony of Boston, Massachusetts. Also armed with his own political philosophies, William Penn’s Frame of Government of Pennsylvania constructed a settlement, which promoted religious liberty and individual conscience. Although the two founders wrote about varying principles, there were some parallels evident between their founding visions. Furthermore, by highlighting the outward distinctions and similarities of their visions, we can recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the two political structures. Ultimately, the explorations of these very elements aid in determining which community is more appealing to call home. In my case, the principle of individual
The foundation upon which all of his principles are laid was that our basic law originated in God; however, Skousen’s argument for this fundamental premise is futile. He fruitlessly quoted individuals that will be recognized as authorities to form a cogent argument; nevertheless, he failed in proving his view that the American Constitution is founded solely upon Biblical law. Although emphasized frequently throughout the book, the Constitution never implied that the existence of a Creator is necessary for freedom in a body of people. Skousen never once acknowledged to readers that Mormon theology is the source for many of his ideas, although his depiction of America is primarily dominated by his devout Mormonism.
Religious services bridged the elite with under-classmen as well as the government with the common man. Quite often divine will was debated on the issues of slavery, social reform, abolishment, and the roles in which men and women were to play. The fact that these issues were debated illuminated the dark-gray areas in which morality first penetrated. Through the veins of morality come a fairness doctrine that is all too consuming when applied to one's self. No one wanted to be cheated out of their freedom and access to it. Social morality was the driving force of cooperation and debate during the Jacksonian Era.
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized the place that religion holds in democracy. “Religion, by teaching man his relationship to God, gives the individual a sense of his own dignity and teaches him to respect himself by respecting his neighbor's. Democracy, the practice of self-government, is a covenant among free men to respect the rights and liberties of their fellows. International good faith, a sister of democracy, springs from the will of civilized nations of men to respect the rights and liberties of other nations of men. In a modern civilization, all three—religion, democracy and international good faith—complement and support each other” (Franklin D. Roosevelt: State of the Union message). This statement supported the idea that religion is associated with a well functioning government. However, in the case of Everson v. Board of Education it was stated that, “The First Amendment has erected a wall between church and state. That wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve the slightest breach” (Hugo Black). This case occurred after Roosevelt’s presidency, and left a significant impact on the American government, as it made clear that religion had no place in the government (Hugo Black). In recent years, a larger disconnect between the church and the American court systems has been created with the nationwide
From matters concerning who should govern, to the structure of government, to the economy, as well as foreign affairs, Jefferson and Hamilton could not agree. Jefferson, a strong advocate for the protection of individual liberties, made an assertion regarding the freedom of religion in his Notes on the State of Virginia. “But our rulers can have authority over such natural rights, only as we have submitted to them,” (Jefferson, 345). Though Jefferson and Hamilton can agree as much to this regard, the authority to which a government is given, is given by the people. However, Hamilton was not a strong advocate for the constant freedom of individual liberties. Instead, Hamilton thought that individual liberties, such as freedom of speech and/or religion, ought to be restricted at times. Jefferson reiterated his position on the protection of religious freedom when he claimed, “The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god,” (Jefferson, 345). Jefferson recognizes the lack of injury that results from conscious beliefs. If it is simply a belief or opinion, and does no harm to another, what purpose would restriction or oppression of this particular belief serve? If nothing else, it serves the purpose of doing none other than oppressing. “That ours is but one of that thousand. That if there be but one right, and ours that one, we should wish to see the 999 wandering sects gathered into the fold of truth. But against such a majority we cannot effect this by force,” (Jefferson, 346). Seemingly an appeal to logic, Jefferson makes a compelling argument about the multitude of religions that inhabit the world. In all reality, religion is but simply an opinion, an opinion that has served as the cause of wars and blood spilled
Slavery was a dominant part of the political and social arenas of 1800’s America. However, it was not homogenous as it divided America into two distinct groups: those who supported it and those who did not. Traditionally, the states in the north had been anti-slavery while the states in the south had been pro-slavery. Southern life and economy depended on slavery and therefore staunchly supported the continued legal status of slavery. The northern states on the other hand recognized the inhumane nature of slavery and campaigned to establish equality for all citizens. In order to establish solid reasoning for their stance, both pro-slave and anti-slave groups turned to theological inspiration for their actions. The Bible inspired both pro-slavery advocates and anti-slavery abolitionists alike. Religion was used in order to justify slavery and also to condemn it.
In Donald Robinson’s, Slavery in the Structure of the American Revolution, he eloquently articulates the original purpose of separation of power in the United States of America: to protect private interests and freedom. Considering that separation of power is viewed as a means to prevent a unitary and centralized government, the issue of slavery influenced the adoption of separation of power. While equality is a quintessential reflection of America, the power of states’ rights prevents states from being consistent with American values. In this paper, I will examine the principle concept of separation of power in the context of ensuring private interests, in particular, the institution of slavery and segregation. I will argue how decentralized political power fundamentally prevents unity within a nation because of its intent to protect the private interests in the United States of America.
To open this discussion, I would like to start with the civil liberty of freedom of religion. This liberty was identified in my original Constitution essay through the mentioning of the separation of church and state clause. The reason for my including of this liberty, and my stressing of its importance, is that I feel that the government interprets this liberty in a one sided fashion because of the incorrect interpretation of the already in place separation of church and state clause. I also include it because I believe that recently the attacks upon religion have metastasized and tha...
Religion can be defined as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe that often contains a moral code that governs the conduct of human affairs according to dictionary.com. Some countries use their religion to form some sort of government or use religion as a way to decide the laws within their land. People often believe that religion should be kept out of government while others think it may create a more effective one.
The Southern colonists had a mixture of religions as well, including Baptists and Anglicans. The original laws of the colonies had forced people to attend a specific type of church and to pay taxes that helped fund the churches. Later, colonists decided to become more religiously tolerant and to separate church from state. The idea of the "separation of church and state" first appeared when Baptists in Virginia wanted to have religious tolerance from the Anglicans living in the area. Today, our society seems to be uncomfortable when perspectives of faith are included in the consideration of public policy. For most colonists, however, the idea of faith being separated from community and governmental activities would have been a strange thing. They believed that community life and government were precisely where faith needed to be practiced if church members were going to be faithful to God’s covenant with them as His people. Religion played a huge role in the shaping of the original thirteen colonies. The part that religion and the church plays in today’s society has become quite different from the role it played in the early
The government is no more allowed to discriminate by inculcating the doctrines of a favored religion in its policies than to discriminate against beliefs and practices based on religion. This unprecedented provision eschewing an established state religion was penned by the Founding Fathers within the context of an America that widely accepted liberty of conscience at the time, a concept married to liberty of religion. The Fathers also considered historical examples of European governments meddling in religious affairs – religious establishment tended to complicate matters and foster malcontent and division within the people. To codify the values of liberty so important to the Fathers, to accommodate to a plurality of religions in a fledgling nation, and to avoid falling victim to history repeating itself, the provision for freedom of religion – and the wall of separation accompanying it – was included in the Constitution. Had the Fathers opted to create a more traditional relationship between church and state, religious belief and practice could not thrive as it does
Thomas Paine, famous author of Common Sense, once wrote that “One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests”. In Mexico in the early 1800’s the caudillos ruled the country with an iron fist. Benito Juarez comes to help free Mexico of these ruthless leaders and their conservative views this would spread to other Latin countries. Separation of church and state was a main view of the new liberal movement of the 1850’s. Liberals asked for many for things when fighting for liberty but all of them were connected to the main goal of separating church and state. Even though separation of church and state was accomplished through laws it did not work in practice.
Separation of the church and state is not a new concept. Within the past two thousand years of Christian history however the strategies and ideas of Christian leaders have changed several times. During the time that Christ walked the earth we can anecdotally perceive a very adversarial relationship between Jesus’ ministry and the local Jewish and Roman governments. This type of relationship continued for the first three centuries of the Christian Church. There was an almost total separation between the emerging Christian Church and the ruling governments at the time due to consistent and violent persecutions of the Christian Church and Christians personally. This persecution continued in spite of the efforts of Paul, Tertullian and other early church scholars to justify Christianity to the Roman Empire. This current climate of persecution saw Christendom spread far and wide across the known world and saw no headway in the relationship between church and state. (1)
The state and religious organizations carry different agendas and motives in the society with each having different functions that guide the way people live and exercise their freedom. Freedom of religion and worship is explicitly guaranteed in the Constitution, and the state does not indulge in the way the church organizations function. In light of the developments in the churches organizations, there are leadership issues that touch on the government and there is a great difference on the way the church is organized and the way the state is organized. From financial pursuits and expenditure on the various projects that churches engage in the way the organizations appoint their leaders, religious entities are not any different from the non-governmental organizations that perform humanitarian work in the society. In this respect, the need for the state and the religious organizations to have distinct and separate functions in the society is guaranteed so as to allow the churches to be different and independent from the control by the state (Hamburger 386).