Its author had no intention of violating the First Amendment. When the Pledge is recited in public places, no one person of any age is forced to violate their constitutionally guaranteed right to the freedom from and of religion. The Pledge of Allegiance should remain intact in the public arena -- for the fact that it helps citizens of the United States to remember essential principles for which this country was founded, such as “liberty and justice for all.” In more recent years, the Pledge controversy presented itself when Michael Newdow filed a lawsuit against Elk Grove Unified School District. The reasoning behind the lawsuit rested on his disagreement with a rule that make the recitation of the Pledge mandatory in a California public school district. In Elk Grove v. Newdow (1), Newdow’s Establishment Clause claim demanded that President Bill Clinton change the Pledge of Allegiance and omit the phrase “one Nation under God.” The Founding Fathers created the First Amendment which includes the Establishment Clause to “impose a number of restrictions on the federal government with respect to the civil liberties of the people, including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition” (2).
Amid this hostility against the student-held prayers, the Supreme Court debated whether this practice violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. The Establishment Clause prohibited the preference by the U.S Government of one religion over another. Furthermore, this clause declared that preferential religious actions held in public domains were unconstitutional. Although this clause prohibited public religious invocations, it did not prohibit religious practices within enclosed settings. After analyzing the case and calling for several holdings, on June 19th of the year 2000 the Supreme Court decided that these practices were indeed a violation to the United States Constitution.
For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here (Thinking).” Here, Patrick Henry went against the very first Amendment to the Constitution, which asserts, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…(Bill of Rights)” In saying that the United States was indeed founded on the religious practices and morals of Christian life, Henry stood for everything that all the Founding Fathers believed as a whole. Several people would agree with him, saying that the only reason religious freedom is allowed is because those who originally governed the U.S. were good Christian men, and therefore welcomed with open arms any of those who fled to America in pursuit of liberty of religious persecution
George Washington, for example, is not known to have taken communion, and one bishop who knew him was confident he was not a believer. Jefferson's scissored-down New Testament is well known. In the realm of what Meacham calls "public religion" the founding fathers thus assiduously avoided any sectarian bias. They strongly protected the right of every citizen to freely exercise "private faith," or no faith at all, as each individual conscience saw fit. Such was the paradox between political liberty and religious faith: "Many, if not most, believed; but none
Every follower of Jesus Christ must find his or her identity in him and him alone. Students do not see that at first, this comes through spiritual maturity. “A young person’s identity does not depend on pure phycology, human goals and achievements, or social labels. Each young person’s identity, and ours as well , comes because we are held in high esteem by a sovereign God who has informed us of sin and forgiveness” (pg. 194).
Even though Allen thinks that the Supreme Court wasn’t wrong in their decision, his opinion is very strong, as he suggests how people should treat the flag with respect because of its importance. Furthermore, the tone in both texts fits in with the context of the written
From in a cell, he jots down almost rebel like ideas, which is to be free from having a religion forced upon any single being. In this initial strategy of steering the emotions of the readers, Pane tells the readers “I believe in one God, and no more” (100), he exposes his stance but does not overly enforce his beliefs so the readers will not be subjected to them. I think that this is very important because if Pane did over insert his views then he would be going against his own teachings. Pane then goes on to talk about a few religions, discussing the problems he finds with them. I found this to be his main strategy of grabbing the reader’s attention and expressing his purpose to them.
Patriotism is something that not many understand. It doesn’t just mean saying the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, or wearing red white and blue on Veterans Day. It means supporting your nation everyday. To be patriotic, you must not just do what your leaders tell you, but you must look out for what you believe is best for your country. For example, there are multiple reasons why I disagree with Ambrose Bierce’s quote: “Un-American, adj.
(The Religious Freedom Page) In my opinion, the free exercise clause can be used in a variety of facets in everyday life. Religious freedom must be expressed always, but I do agree with the Supreme Court. If the person is going to break a law to practice their religion, that is
Essay one Patriotism and declaration for our American flag, the flag defines, freedom, independence and respect. The devoted love of America, and justice for all, also defense to protect the flag. American’s Willingness to sacrifice for our flag shows great loyalty. Desecration to the flag is prohibited, burning the Flag is illegal and is a constitutional law of the U.S. of America. The American flag symbolizes pride and freedom and is known worldwide.