Is it freedom of religion or freedom from religion?

Answer 1

The wording in the constitution is "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof".

There is no statement about freedom FROM religion, with good reason. One can imagine that one is free from forceful imposition of religion, and therefore can choose "no religion" as your set of beliefs; but we can't enforce a rule that one is free from encountering religion. In other words, the U.S. government can't establish a church or restrict others from doing so. It also can't inhibit others from expressing their religion legally, even if it offends others. That's the nature of freedom. It works the same way with free speech...we don't restrict it even when people are saying things we don't like.

Freedom is an incredibly valuable thing, and it is threatened by those who rank their own feelings higher than the principles the nation was founded upon. Freedom FROM religion, if broadly defined, is a threat to freedom OF religion. Freedom FROM speech is a serious threat to freedom OF speech. FROM gives authority to restrict speech or religion. People who don't understand that will lose freedom rapidly.

Answer 2

Freedom of religion. And, yes, that does mean freedom to disbelieve.

The problem with freedom from religion is that it cannot exist with freedom of religion. It's one thing to say that people have a right to choose to believe or not. It's another to say that people have a right to be protected from belief or believers.

Answer 3

Well shouldn't the people who don't share your beliefs exactly, be free to think without having a specific religion pushed on them?

And how can it be freedom of religion if one is held in marked superiority over others? Isn't it a bit hypocritical to claim "oh, sure, you can believe what you want, worship how you choose... but my religion has to be in the public square because it's the right one."

What a lot of people don't get is that the whole freedom of religion thing originated from the period of European History called "The Wars of Religion." People killed other people over different interpretations of scripture. The Puritans left England and went to the New World because they lost power after the English Civil War.

Answer 4

Freedom FROM religion. Religion is like... the opposite of freedom.

Answer 5

Is freedom of Religion, Not freedom from religion.

Answer 6

Well it was Freedom of Religion because most all people beleived in a form of God or another, but sine all the non believer are in our country now, it better to say Freedom from Religion...

Answer 7

Freedom of religion but not freedom from religion.

Answer 8

If you go to the source below and search 'United States Bill of Rights' then you'll have your answer. But if this is rhetorical then it is freedom of religion. The founding fathers were religious men of science and revered God so to them to put freedom from religion would be inviting such acts of witchcraft and other types of religions that the founding fathers would not have consider to be religions at all and the 'from' would mean a total absolute break from any religion and this was unthinkable to them. But it was also unthinkable to them to not allow others to practice what ever belief in 'God' they (individual people or groups) deemed necessary. 'Freedom of...' sets up general boundaries in which all can operate. 'Freedom from...' restricts all from enjoying any type of religion.

Answer 9

Freedom of religion. Founding Fathers never envisioned a non-theistic society. They still held a Biblical worldview despite what historians say. The primary source record bears it out.

Answer 10

Exactly! When the pilgrims came from Europe they were seeking freedom from religion. The Catholic church did not like the new Protestant religion. America became the center for practicing it. They wanted to freely practice their religion and get away from the Catholic church at the same time.

Answer 11

At the heart of it-- freedom OF religion, but I think that the founding fathers, in their wisdom, left the meaning of that somewhat ambiguous intentionally so that we'd always wrestle with the issue and not fall too far on either side of the fence.