US Constitution: Transitioning Our First Amendment from Freedom of Religion to Freedom to Worship

<< This article was updated on November 13, 2013 >>

Freedom of Thought or Consciousness is dangerous to a free society. It can be used to suppress religious institutions free to exercise their religion. The practice suppresses the First Amendment and promotes Article 18 of the Declaration of Human Rights. Freedom to Worship aligns with Freedom of Religion but they are actually on opposing ends of the spectrum. For over 60 years, our nation, our law schools and our legal system has slowly supported the UN Human Right to Freedom of Worship over the free exercise of Religion.

The US Constitution protects an individual’s right to openly practice and express their religious beliefs. The First Amendment states,

“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.”

Our federal government and media are at war with Christianity. As the Westboro Baptist Church, Jeremiah Wright, Terry Jones and pedophilia priests are poster children of Christianity, Christians have succumbed their religion freedom. The demonization has created a void in society and other deities’ are introduced as substitutes. Christianity’s moral foundation emphasizes individual responsibility to God as well as to society at large. Movie stars, politicians and activists are now providing this moral foundation to our society.

In his 1941 State of the Union address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced freedom of worship with his “four human freedoms.”

After his death, Eleanor Roosevelt continued his legacy as she chaired the United Nation’s Declaration of Human Rights. FDR’s Four Freedoms became the foundation of the United Nations. During a dedication of Four Freedoms Park last October, Ban Ki-Moon (UN General Secretary) proclaimed these freedoms as the United Nation’s founding vision.

UN Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18 states:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

The potential for abuse that exists in the difference between Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Worship is best exemplified by the Healthcare mandate ragarding abortion and contraception. This mandate differentiates between the mechanical practice of religion and belief within that religion. They deemed the physical act of entering a church is worthy of first amendment protection., the belief system underlying that is protected.

When someone’s free speech is suppressed for fear of offending someone else, we have truly lost our Constitutional right. This Human Right (as opposed to our individual right) suppresses religious influences on thought and conscious. Article 18 of the Declaration of Human Rights actually exemplifies intolerance. When someone’s free speech is suppressed due to offending someone else, we have truly lost our Constitutional right.

Organizations promote freedom from religion and “Free thinkers”. Meanwhile, public schools and city councils are sued for their religiously affiliations, mostly for the practice of Christianity.

New religious affiliations have crept into our society such as atheism, agnosticism, Patheism, worship of Mother Earth and humanism. These religions must respect Judeo-Christian expression if they expect their own practice to be respected.

Religious alternatives are being promoted within our society. Environmental groups push religious views such as Pantheism or the worship of Gaia. In 1971, our nation introduced Earth Day. In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 as International Mother Earth Day. We should all love our planet, respect it and celebrate it but it should not be worshipped as a religion.

The Supreme Court and others have boxed religion as defined as a separation of church and state. We have accepted atheism which is a religious choice just as Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. It is the religion of no religion which has been advanced by countless court decisions in violation of the first amendment. The Supreme Court declares school prayer and nativity scenes unconstitutional. Church leaders cannot defend the right of religious people to exercise their freedom in the public square. We are losing our Constitutional rights and becoming a secular, progressive autocracy under Human Rights.

Christianity receives much good that do not get publicity, none to the degree the abuses receive. The practice of religion has seen much abuse. The medieval harshness of Sharia Law is incompatable with many accepted norms within our free society. Under Afghan law, punishment of Proselytism, conversion from Islam to another religion, is punishable by death. This is Freedom to Worship. This is not a reason to reject religion. This is a reason to correct any shortcomings while maintaining moral primacy and societal decorum.

In the twentieth century. disastrous political/military campaigns are driven by progressive, humanist, atheists. Dictators such as Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Mao were ruthless, fanatical atheists. They believed in the collective good was the ultimate goal. These agendas have killed millions of people. People should not be forced to conceal their faith when in the public arena. We must combat the state sponsored atheism being pushed upon society.

Should we force an environment of intolerance so free thinkers have an environment to exercise worship, or one that tolerates other practice of religions? If we become responsible for other’s thought and consciousness, this oppression will not stop at religion.