"Congress shall
make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a
redress of grievances."
First
Amendment of the United State Constitution
Even though, the 1st Amendment contains
only sixteen words, it carries a deep message. In sixty five words the First
Amendment protects the American law and religious rights. The Establishment
Clause states that America’s government cannot be controlled by any particular
religion. While the Free Exercise Claw forbids America from prohibiting the
practice of religion. Therefore which claw has priority? Since they both clash
against each other; how can the Government detect which claw to follow.
In comparison to other countries America values and
cares about all types of religions. Yet, the first Amendment also considers the
betterment of the entire country. There are many cases that are constantly debated
in America because of the “religion vs. law” amendment. For example,
homosexuality and abortion are two extremely debated topics in America. Who
should America support?
Similarly, religious rights in schools are
confusing. When should there be a limit? Should children be allowed to pray? Although,
there are times students are prohibited of practicing their religions, they
still have some religious rights. For instance, students have the rights to
pray before eating their meals and with other willing students; as long as it
does not disrupt the school education mission and activities. When I think of
other children around the world, Americans do tend to have more religious liberty.
Which means there is a sensible balance between Religion and the government.
My question is when is the limit? When are religious
people and non-religious people crossing the boundaries? When referring to the
younger generation it is a little harder to come into conclusion, due to the in
loco parentis doctrine. Schools basically become children’s parents the moment
they step into the school property. In loco parentis deprive children of some
of their rights, the moment they are in school. Does this mean their religious
rights as well?
When are religious and non-religious people going too
far? Is keeping a person alive against their will too far? Carol Fiore believed
that was uncomfortable. How can America balance the powerful sixteen words
written in the 1st Amendment?
Sources:
I'm actually very pleased with your blog in more than one way. Not only have you proved your effectiveness though photographs but you also follow the end of your blog with questions. To me, the questions you wrote will give you a good topic to write about in your next blog. They have made me interested and left me wanting to hear more. All of your ideas are well organized and clear as well, which is sometimes hard when you have a lot to say. You have listed many good points. I remember back in school saying the pledge of alligience and now it is strongly forbidden. As a young child you do not think much of it. The same goes for all the "breaks" we had in school. Christmas break was changed to winter break, and Halloween was changed Fall break; and so on. Sometimes I believe that they go a little overboard but at the same time you do not want to upset the family of that child. Then on the otherhand you do not want the child feeling like they are missing out, so it can go both ways. I'm excited to read more and more about your topic because it seems like a never ending debate between schools and the education system. I think you did an amazing job!
ReplyDeleteFreedom of Identity
ReplyDeleteThis is a really well formulated blog post that really made me think about the boundaries of the religious and the non-religious in schools, especially with the questions at the end. The questions are actually really difficult for me to answer. My first thought was that once something is forced on to a child, then that would clearly be a violation of the boundaries and it has gone too far. But then taking your point into consideration about children basically coming under the school’s control once the school day begins, I had to rethink my position. If the public school is void of any mention of religion, is that forcing a child to be non-religious? Does this go against everything that they are learning to value at home? When you really start to examine the issue, it seems that the boundaries are not so clear. Schools want to be accepting of everyone, but are they really accepting of nothing when there is no mention of religion?
When are religious and non-religious people going too far?
ReplyDeleteI believe that religion is as much a controversial issue as politics. When people from one religion preach to another group that is against certain beliefs, the ultimate argument arises! Followers from each religion claim theirs is the best. In politics, the same claims are made. However, I believe it's going too far when a religious, or non-religious person, affects the life of other negatively. The diversity of religions in this country is a cause for controversy due to the topics mentioned, like homosexuality and abortion. These are always controversial because if the separation between state and religion. According to the U.S. Constitution, though, we live in a country where we have the right to make our decisions. But, we still need to be careful to not cross the boundaries so that our actions or opinions do not hurt anyone. When people cross this line, in my opinion, they are going to far. For me, it’s going too to keep a person alive against their will. In order for the U.S. to balance the sixteen powerful words written in the First Amendment, all religious beliefs need to be respected and the government needs to enforce the laws as best as possible.
It really upsets me to know that people are force to believe something because it is the ‘right’ religion for their country. If I was to move to China or Sudan I wouldn’t want to believe in Buddhism or become a Muslim just because I relocated to their country. Many countries use religion to control the people that live there. It has been done for years and it’s a shame people still do it today.
ReplyDeleteThe United State says there is a separation between state and religion ad that no laws are going to be made based off of religious believes but on ever dollar spent it says, “In God We Trust” and also in court they make you swear to the truth so help you God. Religion is so much in our Country that it makes people who are other religions feel uncomfortable.
To be honest we cannot pretend that there is no cause for religion freedom. The ability to understand human personality will give us grace to become religious tolerant. I agree with people who context the barbaric way of control over others because they think they are smarter or well acceptable than others. God is the only one who knows the people who are serving him. However, we must not forget that we will be accountable for ourselves as individual and not set of people or countries in the last day.
ReplyDeleteAlthough we enjoy much more religious freedom than other countries, we have a ways to go in order to say that we truly enjoy religious freedom. We are not allowed to express or religious beliefs in schools. A child cannot pray before a school event or a meal. There is a pin on Pinterest that I saw recently that sums up my thoughts exactly. "We ban bibles in schools but encourage them in prisons. Maybe if we encouraged them in schools our kids wouldn't go to jail in the first place." Let's remember that ultimately we are responsible for the education we provide our children and I personally want the best for my kids.
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