Religious Freedom vs. Freedom to Worship
Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, October 18, 2013 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler
Good morning, Jim. Since words, actually, do mean something, we must understand the difference between the constitutional “free exercise” of religion and the term “freedom of worship.” The free exercise of religion assured in Amendment One of The Constitution of the United States Bill of Rights was ratified by the states in 1791.
That has not changed … but the exercise of religious freedom is always under attack. The current move is to change the term from “free exercise” of religionto “freedom of worship,” meaning we could worship in church or behind closed doors, but worship outside the confines of a church could be prohibited.
This has become a fresh issue under Obamacare because employers and employees, who have religious objections to contraception and abortion-inducing drugs, are forced to disregard their religious beliefs and comply with Obamacare’s insurance provisions, which is especially egregious to employers and employees of churches and other religious entities.Right now, prayer is a constitutional right that is unconstitutional to infringe. Meaning, the exercise of religion is unconstitutionally squelched every time it’s limited or restricted anywhere, including public schools. Religious messages on clothing are constitutionally permissible in school, if other messages on clothing are allowed in school. It is a constitutional right to wear religious accessories in school, if other accessories may be worn in school. It’s constitutional for student-initiated religious groups to meet on school grounds when class is not in session, if other groups meet on school grounds.
It is constitutional for teachers to teach about God and Christianity in courses such as history, social studies and comparative religion. Students have a constitutional right to express their faith in school through prayer, Scripture reading, making religious comments in class and sharing faith with others at school. As long as it does not disrupt class or harass others, they have a constitutional right to talk about their beliefs. To disallow that freedom is to prevent the free exercise of religion, which is guaranteed by The Constitution of the United States, because religious freedom does NOT stop at the schoolhouse door.
Citing a 1990 decision, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor said, “There is a crucial difference between government speech endorsing religion, which the Establishment Clause forbids, and private speech endorsing religion, which the Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses protect.”
These freedoms are listed and downloadable at www.BJConline.org. Click on “Resources” under “Documents,” then “Public Schools” to get “Guidance on Constitutionally Protected Prayer in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools.” Remember, the term “freedom to worship” could limit worship to certain places, but “religious freedom” means religion may be exercised anywhere, anytime, 24/7. For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.