Conventional Wisdom Essay

God was the very center of America’s public life from the very beginning and is still somewhat engrained in American culture. However, the biased mainstream media and other forms of news and entertainment are creating a lack of Christian ideals held in our culture. Liberals and atheists have succeeded in separating church and state, and as a result, washing away the Christian ideals that Americans used to have. The meaning of separation of church and state has been manipulated and changed by liberals to accept their moral deviancy. The truth is that it was meant to protect religion from the government to ensure that Christianity remained a part of our lives for years to come. My faith has taught me that life is a gift from God, and that it should be protected; we have no right to take that away or to play god by aborting a fetus. It is plain to see that we need more Christian values to be enforced in this country, since abortion clashes with multiple Christian teachings. For example, God commanded that “thou shalt not kill” which stands as a clear indictment of the killing of unborn children, whether embryonic or fetal, abortion is an assault on the unique forming work of God. Also, abortion goes against the Biblical teaching of not shedding innocent blood, which obviously includes unborn children. It is so simple and obvious that it is morally repugnant to take the life of a child, yet our laws do not reflect that because of the widespread

Although I am grateful and appreciative of all the rights I have as a US citizen, I feel as though the First Amendment, more specifically Freedom of Religion, is the most meaningful to me because of my Christian views and the ability to create a strong argument over which amendment most resonates with me. When the founding fathers came to America, they made religion a top priority, mainly Christianity. Moreover, it was easier for Freedom of Religion to “survive and thrive” at this time because most cultures were monotheistic and practiced Christianity and there weren’t many other religions to go against. On the other hand in today’s society, religion has been taken out of schools and the workplace because of the United States containing more religions than just

Freedom of religion and freedom of Speech were some of the major values that drove the pilgrims to start their own community in America. We started in thirteen colonies which have evolved into the fifty states that are our country today. Our newly established democracy offered rights that our old society didn?t bring to the table. Currently, the United States is the most or one of the most privileged nations and is very pleasant to live in compared to some foreign nations that may come to mind. However, we, as citizens, have come to abuse our rights and privileges given to us.

As well as other religious minorities, Jews and Catholics were forced to pay for and abide by church laws for the official church, but after the American Revolution, they were able to freely express their religion and partake in government and they gained rights that the people of the official church had. These rights became known as natural rights. When Thomas Jefferson drafted the bill for religious freedom he declared, in Section III, that all people have natural rights which

The American Constitution was influenced partly by Judeo-Christian ideas, mainly that the natural rights of individual should be protected and unalienable. Followers of Judaism surmised that humans were created in God’s image, and as such each individual “has a divine spark that gives him or her a dignity that cannot be taken away” (M.W.H. 12). In the American democracy, the Bill of Rights gives all of the country’s citizens certain rights that are unalienable, and cannot be taken away. As opposed to other forms of government, where the social status of a citizen determined his or her rights, the American Constitution gave all citizens the same rights

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

When discussing the intertwining of church and state; soul liberty and freedom from religious belief, we must recognize that freedom and faith were at one point complementary ideas. Faith was once the foundation for freedom and vice versa. The Declaration of Independence clearly states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and endowed with certain inalienable rights." With these words from the Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers set up their vision of what this country would come to be. Among those rights, which are deemed “inalienable”, is the right of religious liberty. (Neumann, 1990: p. 241)

My father came to America as a Muslim man from Somalia. The Somali government differs immensely from the one here in America. In Somalia, you may face persecution for being Christian because even the law is largely based on Islamic principles. I was raised with this knowledge, that I am blessed to be in a country that is accepting of my beliefs. To me, the U.S constitution is a promise of protection to worship any God I choose or deny religion completely. Out of the four freedoms the constitution provides, the freedom of worship means the most to me. Because religion is how individuals create their identity, define themselves and their morality and ethics. I’m glad to have the freedom to question God, because if I was in Somalia I’d be dead.

During the American Revolution, Congress wanted to have a government that was powerful enough to defeat Great Britain, so they put in place Articles of Confederation as a guide for the way the country would be run, but there were several problems with that, one of which was the government having too much control. On May 14, 1787 The Federal Convention had a meeting in Philadelphia to amend the Articles of Confederation. They met in secret, and only two of the 13 colonies showed up for the vote. They decided they would call it The Constitution of the United States, but still not everyone was satisfied.

Many people in today?s society are caught taking advantage of the rights they have been given. As the Americans we are, we have rights that pertain to freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and petition. These fundamental freedoms have allowed us as American citizens to be able to live our lives without the fear of being arrested or even killed because we speak out. In the 1st Amendment to the Constitution it says that ?Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging

“When "religious freedom" gets invoked in the United States, it can be a mixed bag. It can be a term legitimately be used to describe the right of Americans to express their faith how they choose and associate accordingly, provided they don’t violate the rights of others. Or it could be invoked

America today is permeated with natural law. Our founders were subscribers to natural law and believed that man’s inner morality can lead to sustaining a civil society. The forefathers of America were from different denominations that ranged from Presbyterian to Catholism. Some were even Deists. Even though their denominations varied, they all united under the idea that their Creator was the source of their reason (Levin 2009, 26). The result of these beliefs produced a religious liberty throughout the country. That liberty still stands today. Natural law, contrary to the thoughts of its non-supporters, does not make a country into a theocracy. Since God’s laws are universal, the creed of a person does not change the fact that they entitled to their God-given rights. The founders were extremely foresighted because they acknowledged that liberty is inseparable from religious liberty (Levin 2009, 29). Another example of how natural law is in America’s founding is the right for citizens to disobey man-made laws that tyrannical in nature. All laws that are not given by the consent of the governed have the potential to be overthrown. America’s Declaration of Independence even says that the people should go as far as overthrowing the government if it becomes too powerful (Levin

Every single person in the United States have the right to express their religion of preference or no religion at all, however him or her wants without offending anybody, and the best way to protect religion’s liberty was by keeping the government out if it and creating this First Amendment freedom of religion, to separate the church from the state.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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."(Does the Declaration 1). The Declaration itself uses God as a reference point under which the United States principles were founded on. The United States of America was founded on Christian ideas.

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.