America Has Been Named The Melting Pot Of The World It Houses Many Different Cultures, Nationalities, Ideas And Religions The

America has been named the melting pot of the world. It houses many different cultures, nationalities, ideas and religions. There are Christians, Jews, Catholics, Buddhists, Mormons, Hindus, Spiritualists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Islamics, plus many more. America is unique in that all these religions are represented in a nation that is only 200 years old. And America has upheld, throughout history, that the freedom and equality of religion is extremely important in order for this nation to function as a free nation.

The foundations of America were set as a result of England’s persecution; more specifically, England’s religious persecution. The colonists wanted to create a nation that allowed people to be free. They desired to speak what they wanted to speak, do what they wanted to do, and practice what they wanted to practice... without the government watching their every move. Thus came religious freedom. The First Amendment to the Constitution states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, meaning that an American citizen would be able to practice his or her religion without any intervention or persecution from the government, be it Islam, Judism, Mormonism or Catholicism. Yet, with religious freedom, comes important questions concerning its existence.

Is religious equality just as important as all the other freedoms... such as the freedom of speech, the freedom of press, the freedom to assemble, and others as well? The answer here is yes. If this nation truly stands for freedom, the American government cannot say that its citizens have the right to speak freely, write freely, or assemble freely, but then maintain an established national religion. That would be contradictory, and would not make America any better off than England, which it had separated from just years beforehand. Certainly, all the freedoms are equal.

On the other hand, unlike the other freedoms mentioned, religious freedom addresses a different type of need. It addresses the concept of personal fulfillment, or perhaps, self-realization. Religion attempts to give answers to basic questions: From where did the world come? What is the meaning of human life? Why do people die and what happens afterward? Why is there evil? How should people behave? As a word religion is difficult to define, but as a human experience it seems to be universal. The 20th-century German-born American theologian, Paul Tillich, gave a simple and basic definition of the word: Religion is ultimate concern. This means that religion includes that to which people are most devoted or that from which they expect to get the most satisfaction in life. Consequently, religion provides adequate answers to the basic afore mentioned questions. Religion is, undoubtedly, a very important part of life.

The second question regarding freedom of religion discusses which aspect of religion should be considered equal: the structure or substantive content of religion, or the individual conscience of that religion. Because of the diversity and impact that religion has in the lives of Americans, the individual conscience should be treated as equal, not the structure or substantive content of the various religions. No two religions are alike, just as no two people are alike. The government cannot make all religions equal in regards to their individual structure and/or practices because the individual practices are what make each religion unique; appealing to the individual conscience. If all religions had to be equal in practice, we would have Buddhists saying Hail Mary’s, or Christians bowing to Allah. Perhaps Catholics would wear orange robes and have shaved heads, and Hare Krishna’s could sing music out of the Protestant Psalter Hymnal. This would defeat the whole purpose of allowing freedom of religion in the first place. Religion must be able to differ in structure and substantive content. People must be able to practice their own religion in the way they want to... and this cannot happen if all religions in America are made equal in structure and practice.

The individual conscience in a certain religion, however, must be treated the same as any other religion. A Christian conscience must be treated the same as that of a Buddhist conscience. A Catholic conscience must be treated the same as that of a Mormon conscience, and so on. One cannot discriminate against a religion if all religions are indeed seen as equal in regards to the individual conscience. It would be like discriminating against someone because they do not like coffee with their breakfast. If one decides that they would rather have orange juice with their bacon and eggs, that is up to them. It is their choice. And just because someone else may happen to like coffee with breakfast, doesn’t mean that either person is any more or any less equal to the other. They simply have different tastes.

So if one person was Jewish and the other was a Hindu, neither of them could be regarded as superior or inferior to the other. If their individual consciences were truly equal, they would just accept one another for who they are, not what religion they choose to practice. And other people in that particular environment would accept them as well. Perhaps the Jewish person does not like some aspects of the Hindu religion, or vice-versa, but that doesn’t mean that they are not equal. They simply have different tastes.

Another question arises: Should a religious conscience be equal to a secular one? The answer to this is yes. If America is truly the land of the free, then all consciences and individuals should be regarded as equal to one another, no matter if they are religious or secular. Ideally, this is what America stands for: freedom. The freedom to be religious -- and freedom to be secular -- are both included in that ideal.

Finally, should the government give support and encouragement to religious activity, or should it stay out completely? Mr. Justice Felix Frankfurter said it nicely: If nowhere else, in the relations between Church and State, good fences make good neighbors. (Pole 69) The American government should stay out of all religious affairs. One of the main reasons America broke away from England was to gain religious freedom, and to not have to be pressured by the government into following one specific religion. Therefore, the Supreme Court agreed that in the relationship between man and religion, the State is firmly committed to a position of neutrality. (Pole 122) The founders of this country made an agreement that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The government, from then on, vowed not get involved with any religious affairs or concerns.

And that is the way things should be. If the government gets involved in religion, there is a chance that America could revert back to the ways of England; where there existed an established national religion, as well as grumblings among the British citizens about that religion. It has been said that we must learn from our past, in order to live in the present, in order to better our future. And in America’s past looms the unfortunate mistake of the British government’s involvement in religion. History has proven that church and state need not mix. The law knows no heresy, and is committed to the support of no dogma, the establishment of no sect. (Pole 112)

This does not mean that individuals can take advantage of this freedom. Just because the American government is not going to get involved in any type of religion or religious activity, does not mean that they are going to blind themselves to the area completely. The church and state still communicate, even though they do not often directly effect one another. And there are still civil laws that one must abide by, regardless of what religion he or she belongs to. Mr. Justice Samuel F. Miller stated, In this country the full and free right to entertain any religious belief, to practice any religious principle, and to teach any religious doctrine which does not violate the laws of morality and property, and which does not infringe personal rights is conceded to all. (Pole 112)

A Satanist who is caught sacrificing domestic animals as part of a satanic ritual cannot plead the First Amendment if they are brought to court. Just because that person has freedom of religion does not give them the right to use a household pet as part of a satanic worship ceremony. It violates the laws of morality and property. This person must still abide by the laws of the state, which prohibit him or her from committing such horrid acts, regardless of whether they are religious or not. Even though church and state are separate, religion is not a valid excuse for disobeying state law.

In addition, religious freedom must also mean religious self-sufficiency, and state intervention to assist a church in any way was a denial of the self-sufficiency of that church. (Pole 96) If the government was going to give religion its privacy, religion must not, in turn, depend on the government for support. This freedom works both ways: Not only is the government kept out of religious matters, but religion is, likewise, kept out of government matters. There would be a true separation of church and state.

Religious freedom has always been an important part of American history. It is the concept which originally divided us from England, and without it, this country might not exist today. Religious freedom, along with several other freedoms -- which are just as important -- make America unique. It allows citizens to believe what they want to believe, and practice what they want to practice without any pressure from the government. Yet, religious freedom does not constitute civil disobedience. The fact still remains that Americans are privileged in that they have this opportunity called religious freedom. It is an important part of what indeed makes this country the land of the free.

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