Religious Freedom Essay

Not only did James Madison have views on the importance of religion but he was an adamant believer of the separation of church and state. Madison stated that breaking the ties between church and state would cause a growth in religious interest. He wrote about this in 1819 stating that “the number, the industry, and the morality of the priesthood and the devotion of the people have been manifestly increased by the total separation of the church from the state.” Thomas Jefferson shared this belief with Madison in his wall of separation between religion and government which is a fortification of liberty. He strongly supported the freedom of religion in America through the separation of church and state. “The phrase wall of separation between the church and the state was originally coined by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802.” The purpose of the letter was to ease fears of the wall that the Danbury, Connecticut Baptists had. Jefferson said in his letter that the wall had been built to protect them. This was used to keep the state out of the church’s business.

In comparing Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists, The Declaration of Independence, and U.S. Constitution, it is evident that the basis of all three documents is the idea that all human beings possess God-given fundamental rights and that government is created to protect those rights. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, is the first of the three documents penned. This is important because it defined the rights of liberty and equality of all American citizens as outlined in John Locke’s natural law thesis (Martin, page 113). In addition to providing an itemized account of the grievances colonist’s held against King George III of England, it served to justify the colonist’s quest for independence and separation from British rule. The Declaration of Independence conveyed to the crown that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, which among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Founders’ of the New World understood that their pursuit of liberties and autonomy specified in the Declaration of Independence could not come to fruition without instituting decrees. In 1787, the U.S. Constitution, was written to replace the Articles of Confederation with a better defined series of stringent laws that would legally uphold the freedoms and privileges established in the Declaration of Independence. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in

In the “Letter to Danbury Baptist,” the author Thomas Jefferson develops and refines the central idea of “separation between church and state” by explaining the importance of keeping a good relationship between himself and the Baptist people but also standing firm on the importance of the first amendment. The danbury Baptist people wanted to change the division of church and state but Jefferson used his rhetoric to help explain to the people that the separation of church and state is good for all men and all religions. Jefferson states, “religion is a matter which lies solely between Man

However, he argues that their failings should not be allowed to discount their accomplishments. He talks in detail of Jefferson's commitment to education and religious freedom, or the merits of Washington's leadership and character. The author also attempts to show that while their personal lives may have been lacking, later civil rights movements would never have been possible without the progress our founding fathers made toward the acceptance of human equality as a concept. Ambrose discusses the ideas Jefferson put forward in his writings, including the Declaration of Independence. Many of these are in contradiction to the institution of slavery. It is suggested that the merit of these ideals should be considered in a historical context, and that the founding fathers should be respected for their willingness to propose and defend these ideals, regardless of whether they lived them perfectly.

The freedom of religion has been essential since the day colonists began to flee from Great Britain to America. America was, and is, a place they could come and be free of persecution for what they believe. Unfortunately, over the course of history,

Since before the United States was founded, the ideals of Christianity have been integrated into the government in some way, shape, or form. In the early days of the Colonies, Christianity was the centerfold for all government affairs; however, after the constitution was ratified and deemed effective in the United States, the First Amendment was born. The first amendment 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 the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (source). In the early life of the United States, 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, Islamic, 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

Thomas Jefferson believed that all Americans should have the "freedom of language and sentiment…as derived from the laws of nature" . In his most famous document, the Declaration of Independence, he stated "that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain [inherent and] inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" . Jefferson was a strong advocate of a bill of rights within the Constitution. In a letter to James Madison, he says that he "did not like…the omission of a bill of rights providing…for freedom of religion [and for] freedom of the press" . Jefferson was in favor of religious freedom because it did him "no injury for [his] neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god" . Jefferson wrote the Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom which essentially stated "that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion" . He summarizes his feelings in letters to both Elbridge Gerry and Edward Carrington, where he writes that he is "against all violations of the constitution" because "the basis of our governments should be the opinion of the people, [and] the very first object should be to keep that right" .

“We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” Thomas Jefferson believed those words as he chose to write the Summary View of the Rights of British America, The Declaration of Independence, and the Virginia Constitution. Jefferson retained many powerful beliefs about the freedom and rights of America. Jefferson was an amazingly gifted writer. He knew what he wanted to express and how to put it into words. These writings along with many more played an immense part in gaining America the freedom we enjoy today.

          From early times in his public career, Jefferson was the subject of attacks on religious grounds. Although he kept his opinions regarding religion very much to himself, and considered this a very private concern his insistence of the complete separation of church and state was well-known. In a now famous letter to Danbury Baptists, Thomas Jefferson wrote “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god...their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; thus building a wall of separation between church and state.” This letter affirmed Jefferson’s belief that church and state should be separated and includes the celebrated phrase, “a wall of eternal separation” (Maier, 2000). His views on religion are also expressed in Document B******, Jefferson states, “I consider the government of the United States as interdicted by the Constitution from intermeddling with religious institutions, their doctrines,

One of the most famous quote people remember from the Declaration of Independence was, “ We hold these truths to be self- evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ Adams persuaded the committee to select Thomas Jefferson to compose the original draft of the document, which Congress then would edit to create the final version. The Declaration was an explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare

The free exercise of religion, the freedom of speech, and the freedom of assembly are each absolutely essential for the health of our Republic. That is why the Founding Fathers enshrined them all in the First Amendment. While some people up hold the first amendment and respect its meaning. Unfortunately, these freedoms are currently under assault by the government, state officials and communities.

America was born out of revolution, a revolution to rid the states of an overpowering sovereign from a country where they had no representation. Therefore when writing the constitution the Founding Fathers were careful to avoid a strong centralised monarchical state that they felt would restrict the rights of the people of the United States to practice their religion and cultures freely. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging 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] This clearly states that there shall be no religious persecution, or any type of institution set up to restrict religion in the United States. America was and is supposed to be a society where everyone is equal no matter what his or her religion on social status

Religion is one of the most powerful influences in the world. Though there are different religious groups with many denominations and subgroups within these religious groups, they all share a common belief in a higher power. A higher power that inspires them to obey the golden rule, to trust in the good of our fellow human, and to love and not hate. Despite the commonalities, variations in culture, society, and religious doctrine can sometimes create conflict. Add to these variations, economics, poverty, charismatic religious leaders, and deeply held religious dogma, people can be turned into extreme actions and thoughts. Murder is a universally accepted sin, but in the extreme cases of religious zealots, can be justified in the name of God. The most extreme case would be an act of terrorism involving mass murder and/or mass destruction such as the attacks in the US on September 11th, 2001 (9/11). Unfortunately, a belief in honor, fidelity, kindness, and love can be perverted from love for a greater power to manipulation of the mind of innocent followers to commit acts of atrocity.

Freedom of Religion, one of the first of many rights the American people are granted, and now we are trying to mess it up. Some people would ask the question “ should the words ‘ under God ‘ be in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance?” Others also question if the phrase “ in God we Trust “ should be on the U.S. currency. Antonin Scalia Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court decrees, “In God We Trust' on currency, chaplains in the military, 'non denominational' prayer before public school sporting events and use of the phrase 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance. ...[These practices] reflect the true tradition of religious freedom in America - a tradition of neutrality among religious faiths.” Although, some people think taking any God related phrases of public monuments as well as currency is a good idea, having it has been a way of life in America for decades.