Religious Freedom
Renell Yonkedeh
Southeast Community College
Religious Freedom
Topics: Religious Freedom
General Purpose: To Inform about freedom of religion Specific Purpose: We will be informing the class about religious freedom and how it plays a part in our society.
Central Idea: Freedom of religion plays a huge factor in our society, causing individuals to test its limits.
Introduction
I. Introduction
a) What are the limits when it comes to freedom of religion?
b) Today, we will be informing the class about ...
c) Whenever you are in a situation that seems to test the boundaries of your right to religious freedom, knowing your rights could definitely come in handy.
d) We were interested in this topic and have done a lot of research
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II. How many of us have heard the phrase, “I can’t, it’s against my religion”?
a) The first amendment says and I quote, “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.”
1. The founding fathers wrote the first amendment to protect citizens, giving them the basic right they deserve.
2. In our society, the first amendment is often tested when it comes to religious freedom and tolerance.
3. America have a habit of treating religion with care by making exceptions to the law.
b) Today, there are numerous stories in the media that shows a test of religious freedom and tolerance.
1. Based on Title VII of the Civil Right Act, it is unlawful to refuse hiring of an individual based on his or her color, race, sex, national origin or religion. It also prohibit an employer from segregating, classifying or limiting his or her applicant or employees in any way based on their color, race, national origin or religion (Supreme Court of the United States,
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In 2008, 17 year old Samantha Elauf was denied a position at Abercrombie Kids due to dress code policy against wearing any type of headpiece. Elauf of course took this to court where the ruling was in her favor (Bazelon, E., 2015).
3. Another well-known case is about a Colorado bakery owner name Jack Phillips who refused to make a cake for the reception of a gay couple claiming that it was against his religion. Phillips lawyer argued that the refusal to make a cake was not about discriminating against gays, however, about a baker being forced to use his talents to create something that goes against his belief (Healy, J. 2015).
4. In the end, Phillips lost the case, because it went against the antidiscrimination laws. Phillips is allow the freedom to express his belief, however, when he opens his business to the public, he is not permitted to use his belief to discriminate (Healy, J. 2015).
Transition: Now that we’ve gone over some rights that we are entitled, let’s take a second to recap.
III. Freedom of religion, as we’ve discussed, can cause huge controversies in our society. Whenever you find yourself in a situation that have to do with discrimination against you based on your religion, know that you have the rights to freedom of religion. Antidiscrimination laws are set in place to protect you from being discriminated against based on your race, color, gender, religion, and national
The choice of religion belongs solely to the individual and shouldn’t be able to be taken away from a
The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. Meaning, Congress cannot forbid or ban the exercises or beliefs of any religion. However, the government can in fact interfere with religions practices. This means that the government cannot prohibit the beliefs of any religion, but can intervene in certain practices.
The first Amendment of the United States Constitution says; “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.”[1] Our fore fathers felt that this statement was plain enough for all to understand, however quite often the United States government deems it necessary to make laws to better define those rights that are stated in the Constitution. Today the framers would be both encouraged and discouraged by our modern interpretation the First Amendment the United States Constitution.
The Amendment I of the Bill of Rights is often called “the freedom of speech.” It provides a multitude of freedoms: of religion, of speech, of the press, to peacefully assemble, to petition the government. Religious freedom is vitally important to this day because it eliminates the problem of religious conflicts. Historically, many people died for their beliefs because their government only allowed and permitted one religion. T...
The First Amendment to our Constitution states that "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 of the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" (The Bill of Rights: A Transcription).
Throughout history, America has faced disagreements that led to various complications, one of them being religious freedom. Americans claimed to have always supported religious freedom and that the First Amendment backed that up. However, according to David Sehat, this was only a myth. The myth he argued that there was a moral establishment that constrained religious liberty, therefore American religious freedom was only a myth. Sehat overstated this claim because there have been many historic measures that have shown American religious liberty, such as the Second Great Awakening, the emergence of new religious movements, and religious liberty court cases.
An American’s right to religious worship is valued tremendously, thus making the first Amendment ve...
The incorporation of the 14th Amendment in regards to Civil Liberties is one of the longest and most important constitutional debates of all time. Though the 14th Amendment was adopted in 1868, the Supreme Court rendered their first interpretation of its scope five years later. The Court supported the Privileges and Immunities Clause by a narrow 5-4 vote. This clause was later thought to be the regular basis of enforcing individual citizen’s rights and civil liberties. The development in understanding and the provision for protection of one such liberty, freedom of religion, has changed throughout the history of the United States. Evidence of this can be seen not only in the role government has played but also through several court cases.
The legal basis for religious freedom cases is founded in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The First Amendment states: “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.” From this statement, two schools of interpretation were born.
There are many exceptions to the first amendment in which limits a citizens abilities to practicing freedom of religion and speech. Yelling “fire” in a movie theater, for example, is illegal and an exception to the first amendment. Speech that intends or causes harm is also an exception to the first amendment. Sutlaana Freeman, for instance, is a Muslim American in the state of Florida decided to wear a veil across her face. When going to take a photo for her driver’s license, she was asked to remove her veil, as the state of Florida requires a fully uncovered face for an ID photo. Freeman refused arguing that the first amendment’s freedom of religion allows her to practice her religion. After fighting the state of Florida for her “religious rights”, the state declared that an ID photo must fully reveal a person’s face for easy identification and for safety. (Barnet 9). In this case, the safety of the people surmounted the religious rights of one person. These exceptions are enforced to increase the safety of the people and to prevent conflict among people and government.
No other independent enlightenment in the world allows individual independence to the United States of America. American courts, especially the Supreme Court, have improved a set of lawful policies that comprehensively shelter all types of the power of appearance. When it comes to appraising the level to which people take benefit of the occasion to convey believes, many members of culture can be accountable for misusing the boundary of the First Amendment through openly offending others through racism or obscenity (Karen O’Connor & Larry J. Sabato 2006). America is what it is because of the Bill of rights and the Constitution of the United States of America. The ratification of the Constitution warranted that religious dissimilarity would continue to develop in the United States. American has enhanced a different nature toward the power of word throughout history.
Hawley, Helen, and Gary Taylor. "Freedom of religion in America." Contemporary Review 282.1649 (2003): 344+. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
"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." -First Amendment to the Constitution. The First Amendment “protects five of the most basic liberties which include the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition the government to right wrong” (Silberdick Feinberg, 2015). Without the First Amendment then there wouldn’t of been full ratification and acceptance of new government. The interesting thing of the First Amendment is that it protects our ability to speak freely and openly however it doesn’t establish protection from the repercussions. Employers are able to exercise their restrictions on free speech and terminate their employees based on something they might state in the workplace. Employers have even exercised their right to terminate an employee something he/she expressed publically in their personal time. Business representatives, sports figures and celebrities have been denied work and or let go due to speaking their thoughts
"Freedom of Religion: Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association" provided a great example dealing with the freedom of religion. The Indians had been living on that land for hundreds of years, yet were denied their attempts to declare the area as a sacred area to prevent building on the lands. In the end it was a bittersweet victory for the Indians because the G-O Road was ordered to remain uncompleted because of the environment and not because it was a sacred territory for Indians. I believe that the Indians should have won the case in the Supreme Court because they were protected by the First Amendment. The case shouldn't have lasted as long as it did.
Talbot, Nathan. "Government Should Not Interfere with Personal Belief." Bach, Julie S., ed. Religion in America: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc. 1989.