Does separation between religion and government exist in the U.S.A. anymore? Do we have freedom from religion?
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In what only can be seen as a violation of the First Amendment’s freedom of religion clauses, and the unmasking of Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation between Church and State (religion and government)” as the lie that it has been throughout the history of this country, the United States Air Force refused to reenlist a technical sergeant who has more than 10 years of service because he scratched out “So help me God” on his reenlistment contract.
According to his lawyer, Monica Miller with the American Humanist Association,
“He was told he had to swear to those words, or else he would have to leave the Air Force.”
The sergeant, based at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada whose name has been withheld, has until his current term of service ends in November 2014 to sign the form, including the religious oath. Section 5.6 of the enlistment/reenlistment form, the “Active Duty Oath of Enlistment,” reads as follows:
“I, (state your full name), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
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Monica Miller asserts that challenges to Air Force policy are of its own making. Before last fall, the enlistment oath included the parenthetical sentence, “(Airmen may omit the words ‘So help me God,’ if desired for personal reasons.”). The Air Force, however, deleted this sentence in the newest updated version. The matter now is currently under review by the Department of Defense.
According to the wording of the First Amendment,
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….”
two separate clauses or concepts relate specifically to religion: the “Establishment Clause” and the “Free Exercise Clause.” The first forbids government from passing any laws or enforcing any policies that establish an official religion or favoring any religion over others. The second clause restricts government from trampling on the rights of individuals to practice the religion or non-religion of their choice.
Contrary to Texas Governor Rick Perry’s contention that “freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom from religion,” the Constitution of the United States, and expanded by numerous court decisions throughout our history, does, in fact, grant the right of freedom of as well as freedom from religion. Perry uttered his attitude when signing the so-called “Merry Christmas” bill into law that permits schools in his state to display religious symbols around campus.
A Little History
Virginia was one of the first states following the Revolutionary War to address the issue of religion and government when Thomas Jefferson, who held deist beliefs, drafted “An Act for the Establishment of Religious Freedom” in 1777. Jefferson’s proposal passed into law in 1786 in Virginia. Then, constitutional framers such as Jefferson and Madison negotiated a compromise with Protestant sectarians, which led to the clauses written into the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Though nowhere in the U.S. Constitution does the phrase “wall of separation of church and state” appear, it was originally drawn from a letter President Thomas Jefferson sent on January 1, 1802 to the Danbury (Connecticut) Baptists Association. In a previous letter to Jefferson, the Baptists, who were then a minority denomination, expressed their extreme concerns that the First Amendment, by expressly granting “the free exercise of religion,” implied that this freedom, granted by government, is therefore an alienable right since what the government gives, the government likewise can withdraw.
“Our sentiments are uniformly on the side of religious liberty: that religion is at all times and places a matter between God and individuals….But sir, our constitution of government is not specific….[T]herefore what religious privileges we enjoy (as a minor part of the State) we enjoy as favors granted, and not as inalienable rights” (Danbury Baptist Association, 1801).
Jefferson had his own concerns over the potential erosion of religious liberties granted in the First Amendment, which he expressed in a letter to fellow co-signer of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Rush:
“[T]he clause of the Constitution, which, while it secured the freedom of the press, covered also the freedom of religion, had given to the clergy a very favorite hope of obtaining an establishment of a particular form of Christianity through the United States; and as every sect believes its own form the true one, every one perhaps hoped for his own, but especially the Episcopalians and Congregationalists” (Jefferson, 1800).
Because of enormous pressure, the Air Force was compelled to reverse its policy.
“In response to concerns raised by Airmen, the Department of the Air Force requested an opinion from the Department of Defense General Counsel addressing the legal parameters of the oath. The resulting opinion concluded that an individual may strike or omit the words “So help me God” from an enlistment or appointment oath if preferred.”
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Even with this reversal, there remains countless other instances of religious intrusion from government, from “In God We Trust” on our currency, “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, religious invocations at Presidential and other government inaugurations and ceremonies, chaplains reciting religious invocations at Congressional gatherings, publicly funded religious decorations and celebrations at government building in Washington, D.C. and throughout the country, an official publicly funded Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn, “…and God Bless the United States of America” ending virtually all Presidential and other elected officials’ speeches. I ask, then, do we really have a “wall of separation” and freedom from religion in the United States?
Tom: In these instances, school officials have violated the students’ rights. School officials need to understand the court rulings that supplement and set the parameters of the First Amendment.
Students’ rights to practice their religion only goes as far as themselves. When they start trying to recruit others, or saying they are damned to hell, or otherwise broadcasting their religious views beyond themselves, they are creating a hostile environment for those who do not belong to that religion. Not to mention that school is not the place to be preaching your religion.
You mean like this ? PLAINVIEW, TX – A 13-year-old boy was suspended from school after he was caught reading the Bible during recess. Plainview Middle School says Joshua Patterson violated school policy by reading the Bible in school.
Or this? Kenneth Dominguez, 16, Suspended For Bringing Bible To Gateway East High School
Or this? Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) – A teenage girl standing up during lunch to pray at a Louisville middle school has been suspended.
Please provide links. I am VERY skeptical that any schools in the Bible Belt would discipline kids for practicing anything Christian. They do, however, have a long and loud tradition of disciplining and ridiculing non-Christians who practice their religions.
Never mind, I’ll do it for you. #1. FALSE: http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/natalie-gross/2014-07-21/school-district-says-story-plainview-boy-suspended#.VBxwxUj-U6E #2. He wasn’t suspended for “bringing his Bible to school,” he was suspended because he kept preaching and proselytizing the other students. He was repeatedly warned to stop, and didn’t, so he was suspended. Now, you may say he has the “right” to preach his religion in school, but then every religion would too – are you willing to let a Wiccan, or a Satanist, preach and recruit at a public school? http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/natalie-gross/2014-07-21/school-district-says-story-plainview-boy-suspended#.VBxwxUj-U6E #3. The girl in Louisville was being disruptive and disobeyed the principal’s order to step down from… Read more »
I am the Director for Communications for the mentioned school district. We do NOT have a school by this name. We do NOT have a student by this name. We have never suspended a student for reading a bible. We are NOT being sued by parents. This news story was circulated on The Onion and Nerd News. It is not factual in any way, shape or form and it distracts from our mission of educating children. Please remember that the internet is full of made up stories. Use reliable sources.
I take it that this includes public schools accommodating prayer time for Muslims?
In schools, students do and should have the right, for example, to have Bible reading clubs before or after school that they can voluntarily chose to join, or places set aside for voluntary prayer. However, what I am opposed to is official policy mandating, for example, “under God” in the school-wide Pledge of Allegiance, school-wide prayer before football games, cheer leaders holding signs on the field with scriptural excerpts, etc.
See? It’s the “etc” that bothers me when you write about things like this. I recall an article from you that expressed your anger that a school rented a facility from a church because the school’s facility was unsuitable for some reason. You were absolutely willing to spend more public money and greater inconvenience the attendees so you would not be “inflicted” with having to be at a location where religious services were held. I absolutely agree that people shouldn’t be forced to swear an oath endorsing religion should they not espouse that religion. I agree that the pledge should… Read more »
cw stated: ” I recall an article from you that expressed your anger that a school rented a facility from a church because the school’s facility was unsuitable for some reason. You were absolutely willing to spend more public money and greater inconvenience the attendees so you would not be “inflicted” with having to be at a location where religious services were held.” NOT TRUE: In this instance, the school had plenty of places ON CAMPUS to hold their event, but rented the church space simply because the school wanted to find an off campus site.” cw stated: “Your “freedom… Read more »
So you’re okay with public school money going toward faith worship space?
Using an empty campus room to accommodate for religious worship is not “public school money going toward faith worship” as you define it. But in the case of my former university, Iowa State University, its publically funded “Chapel” located in the publically funded Student Union Building, contains an 8-foot floor to ceiling Christian cross, with benches in the style of pews with Christian crosses carved on each end. This is something with I have serious problems. This Chapel with it Christian crosses is also set aside to accommodate Muslim students’ to pray.
C’mon Warren, accommodations require that they be able to pray. “Muslims face Mecca in prayer, the direction is dependant on where in the world you are. To be specific, a Muslim is trying to pray towards the Ka’bah (the black box) inside the Mosque in Mecca which is one of the holiest places in Islam.
Believe me, these areas aren’t “unused” rooms in a school. Schools are short of space in the first place so finding “unused” space?
And BTW, I’m talking about HS’s
Yes Tom, schools, including high schools, are required to provide space for students wishing to pray. BTW, Jews also face east in prayer, facing Jerusalem. Even in Jerusalem, Jews still face east.
You have confused an accomodation with coercian. A reasonable accomodation is very different from using force to make students comply. No one is forced to use the prayer time. No one is prohibited from praying. There is no tradition in Xtianity comparable to prayer rituals in Islam. That’s why it’s called accomodation. In my experience, those prayer accomodations are for the convenience of everyone. Otherwise, the devout might use an inconvenient or usafe space (such as a stairwell or hallway) instead of a safe one like a prayer room.
Tom’s,so spending public school money is okay?