Religious Freedom
Student Name
Institutional
Affiliation
Religious Freedom
Introduction and Thesis
- The concept of religious freedom emphasizes the capacity to practice one’s beliefs without prejudice and discrimination.
- The First Amendment of the United States Constitution establishes it as a right by prohibiting laws that create a particular religious dogma or restrict people from exercising their spiritual inclinations.
Thesis statement: The thought in question imposes specific implications for federalism, civil liberties, and civil rights albeit in varying conditions.
Main Point 1: The implications for federalism are illustrated by positive impacts that involve the recognition of religious freedom as a fundamental right, as well as negative consequences that comprise the denial of other liberties.
- One positive impact of
federalism on religious freedom is the individual’s right to exercise any
belief without fear of persecution or discrimination.
- Under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, citizens can acknowledge any conviction and participate in religious customs and practices (Hammons, 2013).
- Despite this, the courts have been incapable of guarding these rights.
- One negative impact of federalism on religious freedom is the prohibition of people from exercising other rights as an outcome of conflicting federal regulations.
- Before the Supreme Court’s acceptance of gay marriage, some states often referred to their constitutions, which used Christian dogma, to deter homosexual constituents from pursuing marriage equality (Wilson, 2015).
- The meaning of the evidence used to support the claim illustrates that religious freedom varies across states even though it is enshrined in the Constitution.
- The evidence is pertinent for the research since it illustrates the complex interaction between religious freedom and federalism as far as the implications are concerned.
Main Point 2: The implications for civil rights involve the positive and negative impacts imposed on religious freedom.
- One positive impact of civil rights on religious freedom is the notion that all persons are allowed to participate or discard any religious belief.
- One negative impact of civil rights on religious freedom involves the prejudicial treatment of specific members of society due to specific religious dogma.
- Accordingly, the First Amendment, while providing for the free exercise of all religious practices and beliefs, also discards any attempts at altering or establishing a uniform code as far as faith is concerned (Coughlin, 2013).
- The meaning of the evidence used above points to the lack of clarification surrounding the concept of religious freedom in the First Amendment. On the one hand, the Free Exercise Clause permits people to practice whatever beliefs they have without fear of judgment. Alternately, the Establishment Clause prevents Congress from applying any laws that implement or refute any faith.
- The evidence supports the topic sentence because it shows the extent to which civil rights conflict with laws on religious freedom hence developing concerns surrounding the protection of human rights.
Main Point 3: Implications for civil liberties on religious freedom mainly involve the positive and negative impacts imposed on religious freedom.
- One positive effect of civil liberties concerning religious freedom involves the freedom for people to practice their faith without any involvement by the government.
- One negative impact of civil liberties regarding religious freedom is the ability of other individuals and groups to engage in the radicalization of religion to establish a specific religious dogma and discriminate against other people’s right to practice or discard any religion.
- The First Amendment of the Constitution has always been construed as applicable to “individual protections rather than jurisdictional proscriptions” (Hammons, 2013, p. 235).
- The meaning of the evidence is that religious liberty is a protection that the government must implement and as such, deny any local or state processes aimed at supporting a specific faith.
- The evidence supports the topic sentence because it introduces the notion of separation, which ensures that freedoms related to religion are observed despite the oppositions between civil libertarians and conservative sections. It is vital to share based on how it supports the core argument.
Conclusion
- The structures of federalism, civil rights, and
civil liberties possess different
implications in respect to religious
freedom.
- Firstly, religious freedom is protected under the First Amendment, which allows or persons to practice their beliefs without fear of prejudice.
- Secondly, the Constitution, while permitting the free exercise of religion, also discards Congress from establishing or supporting a specific belief further contributing to discourses on human rights.
- Lastly, the separatist concept protects religious liberty by defining the government’s role in supporting the exercise of all religious beliefs and agnostic convictions hence safeguarding civilians from radicalization.
References
Coughlin, J. J. (2013). Separation, cooperation, and human dignity in church-state relations. Jurist: Studies in Church Order & Ministry, 73(2), 539-555.
Hammons, C. (2013). State constitutions, religious protection, and federalism. University of St. Thomas Journal of Law and Public Policy, 7(2), 226-239.
Wilson, R. F. (2015). Bargaining for civil rights: Lessons from Mrs. Murphy for same-sex marriage and LGBT rights. Boston University Law Review, 95(3), 951-993.