The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion...?

Question

...but does that include freedom FROM religion?

I apparently need to elaborate here; I am religious, and the point I am making is that there is no guarantee as far as I know, that through the Constitution, those who are not religious may shut up those who are.

Answer 1

The establishment clause of the first amendment prohibits the federal government from establishing a 'church of the united states' or endorse a particular denomination as being the official religion. As a result, all religions are guaranteed the right to practice as they see fit so long as that practices does not violate other laws....for example, human sacrifice would pose a major problem.

It was never an intention, or even a thought in the minds of the founding fathers that atheists have the right to live in the complete absence of religious discourse. So, while an atheist, or a non-adherent to a particular religion, has the right not to listen, or to walk away, he does not have the right to silence others who wish to speak of religious matters.

What atheists seek are special rights. They want to have all public religious discourse relegated to churches yet they want the right to denounce religion at every turn. Can't have it both ways...or maybe they can if they can get enough idiot judges to rule in their favor.

Answer 2

It means that the government and institutions associated with or funded by the government must not encourage, discourage, or promote any one ideological viewpoint. This would include ideologies that are free of God. These places should remain neutral on religion or lack of religion. The idea is people should come together in these places without them being biased toward anyone ideological position since our country was founded on the idea of freedom of conscious regardless of religious ideology.

Answer 3

It means you have the right to choose whichever religion or denomination you want. There will be no State authorized DENOMINATION to which people must belong as there were in the European countries. If someone chooses not to have a religion they have the right to choose that as well. The "separation of church and state" doesn't appear in the Constitution, that was legislation from the bench.

Answer 4

It has been so interpreted, but the real issue is supporting religion with tax dollars, right? For insight into the minds of the founders you can look to the Virginia legislature and others who consistently blocked attempts to give federal pensions and lands to churches of any denomination. Nobody argues with private displays of nativity scenes and such . The argument is against using tax dollars to promote and indoctrinate a specific theism. In my neighborhood are a half dozen Christian churches a Mosque and two Hindu temples. Should we all have our tax dollars used to promote Jesus?

It's a Red Herring anyway. We have religious institutions on every street corner in America and nearly every elected official is a theist or claims they are. The victim act Christians keep putting on every time their absolute dominance of American life is challenged in the slightest is just nonsense.

Answer 5

Yes. Freedom of religion implies freedom from religion.

There isn't any danger of the non-religious "shutting up" the religious. Christians have essentially all of the political and economic power in the United States. We're obviously we're in far more danger of Christians eliminating our freedom from religion.

You've surely noticed that atheists don't try to keep others from their beliefs or their worship, while believers have a long history of trying to establish Christianity as "the basis of our laws".

Answer 6

Yes. But, people can be defensive of practices and ideas that are different from their own. These people also have the right to feel they way they do.

I do think people without religion get the short end of the stick sometimes though. At my job, people who go to church have no problem getting the weekend off. While non-church goes are stuck pulling their shifts and most of the time pulling doubles to cover the absent employees.

Answer 7

Freedom of religion means know one can force you into a religion or lack of religion.

This is a melting pot (supposedly) - so we are all supposed to be able to express our beliefs openly and have the tolerance to allow others to do their own thing.

So no...freedom from religion is not part of the constitution.

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 8

agnostics and athiast is a religion. It is a religion of non belief. So I would say yes. The constitution does not say only if you believe in god are you guaranteed freedom of religion.

Answer 9

I would say yes. But isn't it ironic that Atheism, as the belief that there is no such thing as God, becomes the atheists religion?

At the end of the day, who cares what anybody believes? I don't want organized religion telling me how to live my life but I also don't want Atheists trying to change my world because of their beliefs. Atheists are becoming as bad as evangelists when it comes to fanaticism...

It's very annoying for those of us who truly don't give a toss.

Answer 10

Actually, it guarantees freedom from state sponsored religion.

Edit: What you are describing is protected under free speech.