Are Atheist's beliefs protected in America?

Question

Does Atheism fall under "Freedom of Religion"?

Answer 1

Yes, otherwise, we would lock them all up. Religious people REALLY ARE more tolerant than the atheists. A Blessed Christmas to you.

Answer 2

I would say that most persons in the US who do not attend church services 3-4 times a week would agree that you are free to believe in anything you want to believe. However, there are some places in the United States (it's a big country) where people believe that you must believe in the same dieties they do or you are not a moral person. Of course, their argument is flawed because it relies on "faith" to prove a point. Unfortunately "faith" cannot prove an argument to someone who doesnt believe in it.

There can be no restriction on your personal beliefs and that is protected by the US constitution. You have every right to be an atheist in America and there is nothing anyone can do about it (legally). There can be no law in the USA that prevents you from believing in what you want to believe in. The First Amendment to the constitution states very clearly:
"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."

Additionally the constitution covers religion in office by making it law that there can be no religious test required to run for office:
According to Article 4 of the US Constitution:
"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."

Some states do indeed restrict your freedom of religion which some, including myself, would argue is immoral and unconstitutional. Arkansas and South Carolina both require that candidates worship a God, if not their God.

Article 19 - Arkansas Constitution:
"No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court."

Article 6 - South Carolina Constitution:
"No person who denies the existence of the Supreme Being shall hold any office under this Constitution."

But the answer to your question comes down to this.... Yes, atheists beliefs are protected in America. However, while your atheist beleifs are protected, you still cannot run for office in Arkansas or South Carolina if you are an admitted atheist.

Answer 3

Yes because it doesnt say what kind of religion, and athesim is a form of religion that should be protected. It also should be guarded against just like any other religion or philosophy ,from being forced and imposed on others.
We need protection from Atheism. Atheism is a very dangerous and hateful ideology not constrained by reason, or morality, but by sensual data, and lifts unfaithful, untrustworthy , greedy, unjust men to the position of gods, who will decide who should live and who should die, without the constraints of compassion and love that are the possesion of the church. When scientists hunt you down and decide that you are good material for their experiments and you have no God given rights because there is no God, and we are just animals , you would be happy, and wish at that time to find a place of love like the church which preaches the dignity of man and that we are the possesion of God not other men. Atheist and other people want to get rid of the church becasue it is an obstacle to their plans and control, to theiur brainwashing, to chnaging the definitions of right and wrong. The church is like an old parent and the modern haters of it are like parricides(those children who want to murder their parents to get the inheritance). The church tells them what is right and wrong according to a divine inspired wisdom, given unto man throught Jesus Christ among others.
Chrsitan haters and bashers should realize that we are their best friends and lovers of mankind, protectros of what is moral and sane, not following the crowd.
Better wake up.We Christians are the true independents, outside the system, revolutionaries, not followers of the crowd who just try to fit in and listen to perverts tell them that right is wrong and wrong is right.

Answer 4

Atheists have no beliefs in religion, they are not a religion, so how does freedom of religion even matter????????? HMMMMMMMMMMM??????? Answer that!
The freedom to believe the religion you choose to believe is the basis of the Freedom of religion. If they choose not to believe then they are not protected by that right.

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.

It says nothing in that right about Atheists having the right to no religion. There is no law disallowing them to believe as they will.
They have the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the freedom to assemble and the freedom to petition the government.
But where as they have no religion, they have no need to the right to practice a religion.

athe·ist
Pronunciation: 'A-thE-ist
Function: noun
: one who believes that there is no deity

a·the·ist
NOUN:
One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.

a·the·ism

NOUN:

1.
1. Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.
2. The doctrine that there is no God or gods.
2. Godlessness; immorality.

ETYMOLOGY:
French athéisme, from athée, atheist, from Greek atheos, godless : a-, without ; see a- 1 + theos, god; see dhs- in Indo-European roots
Though I disagree with the Immorality thing, that is the definition of atheist.

Answer 5

It reads freedom of religion not freedom from religion. I think an atheists freedoms fall under freedom of speech.

Answer 6

Freedom of Religion basically means that you have the freedom to believe in (or not) whatever the heck you chose. People came to America for that exact reason, to escape persecution from others who had different beliefs.

Answer 7

Yes

Except they have no formalized religion to practise.

They would be entitled to eretct halls and call them Athiest Meeting Halls. If they tried, they could possible get a tax exempt status like Churches have, but they have to meet the same tests a Church.

I can't start a religion called My Religion and get automatic tax exempt status.

However if I affiliate with an existing Church that has national acceptance it would clear the way for me to get it quickly if I started a local Southern Baptist Hall, because they are nationally accepted. But I'd still have to file the papers for my local chapter.

Answer 8

Maybe in the same way that non-belief in Santa falls under freedom of speech

Answer 9

Since atheism has no more ability to conclusively PROVE its contentions than any other faith and since its proponents are just as wedded to it AS a faith, yes it is protected, like any other church or faith.

Answer 10

I don't think they want to be considered a religious group because they don't believe in God-but they should be aloud without judgement to believe in anything they want.This is America and we all have that right..