Religious Freedom essays

Religious Freedom essays Throughout the whole of American history, religion and government has been a very controversial topic. While religion seems to find its way into almost every aspect of our lives, there have been various legal battles over religious. First, let us define what religion is. The American Heritage Dictionary defines religion as, Belief in and reverence of a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe ... a personal or institutional system grounded in such belief and worship. (American Heritage Dictionary: 4th Edition). However, in his book, Michael Corbett defined religion as, ... an integrated system of beliefs, lifestyle, ritual activities, and institution by which people give meaning to (or to find meaning in) their lives by orienting themselves to what they take to be holy, sacred, or of ultimate value. (Corbett, 1999: 5). Problem arises when the line between government and religion is crossed. Members of our government in positions of authority decide everything in our lives in the form of laws, which determine our behavior. For example, the removal of the Ten Commandments from the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building in Montgomery on August 27th, 2003 (CNN News, 2003). Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore installed a Ten Commandment monument in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building in September 2001. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in a similar case in Lincoln Nebraska and Philadelphia, PA opposed to this action. The ACLU stated that, ...Ten Commandments monument violated the principles of religious freedom. (ACLU Press Release: April 2003). Foundation of the American Government The Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government respects this right in practice. James Madison the guiding force behind the language of the Constitution, co-author of the ...