Roger Williams: Definition Of Religious Freedom

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Religious Freedom “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The first line of the first amendment in the United States Constitution established what our founding fathers priority was when drafting the Bill of Rights (Green, Emma). However well over 200 years have passed and our religious freedom has become more restricted than free. Are we free to truly exercise our religion? One might say yes, but if that was the case why are we restricted in schools, state and federally owned places then every before? Throughout history there has been significant individuals, in which helped found this nation, who have attributed to the freedom of religion in today’s society.…show more content…
He was banished from Massachusetts due to religious intolerance which caused Roger Williams to write the “Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience.” In this writing he argued his case for the complete separation of church and state. At the time, the Puritan society of Massachusetts attempted to force its religion on all who lived there. He realized that the affairs of the state are to be purely secular. He did not believe the civil government had the power to enforce religious correctness. Because of these two men and many others the establishment of the Constitution contained rights to religious…show more content…
The government cannot enact laws aiding any religion or establishing an official religion. This is the clause that truly separated church and state and in today’s society has created numerous law suits. Many lawsuits against towns and cities usually end with the court ordering the removal of religious symbols whose government sponsorship violates the First Amendment. In many instance the display of a nativity with Jesus outside a town hall may be unconstitutional but the display of Santa Claus is acceptable. Federal and state governments have accepted and implemented the doctrine of the separation of church and state by minimizing contact with religious institutions. Religion and education are a common source of great controversy. In the early nineteenth century the majority of Americans were Protestant and religious exercises were common in public schools. In 1962, the Supreme Court struck down the practice of prayer in schools as unconstitutional, in violation of establishment clause (Bouvier, Dec,
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