The Disintegration of Religious Freedom

The Disintegration of Freedom of Religion
Every couple of generations or so we are privileged to be a witness to monumental social/cultural change in America. In the 60’s and 70’s it was the Civil Rights movement, a movement that is yet impacting our culture.
In this the first decade of a new century we are bearing witness to the demise of one of our most fundamental rights. Religious freedom is slowly becoming an "endangered species". I have been troubled by the numerous limitations being put upon religious expression; the court decisions about school prayer, religious symbols in or around government offices and the recent debate over Intelligent Design. The very government that was established to protect our rights as described in the Constitution is now denying religious freedom in various public arenas. Precedents of law (high court decisions) have been established to protect the rights of a small minority of people who either oppose religious freedom or have a life structure that has no room for God or for various expressions of religion.
The First Amendment to the Constitution was written to protect the basic rights of everyone not just a minority group.
"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."
Time and time again we hear people citing "separation of church and state" as a rationale for excluding religious expression as if it were a part of the Constitution. Do you see the phrase "separation of church and state" anywhere in this amendment to the Constitution or in the body of the Constitution itself? Is it found in the Declaration of Independence? The answer is No!! Where then did it originate? It arose as an explanation to a series of judicial decisions that have led us to the point where the words "religious freedom" are almost a joke. About the only place where religious freedom is truly free is in our homes, churches, synagogues, temples or mosques.
Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence said, "Freedom of religion, freedom of the press….these are principles that have guided our steps through an age of revolution and reformation."
What were our Founding Fathers concerned about when the first amendment was established? England had a terrible and bloody history, in part because the country had various "state" religions forced upon the people. The Founding Fathers did not want a "national" religion. They believed everyone should have the freedom to choose a religion….or not. As the amendment was debated and shaped they did not put any limitations on free religious expression. They didn’t but our judicial system has.
In just the last 50 years lawyers and judges in various courts all over the land including the Supreme Court have taken it upon themselves to define what the Founding Fathers meant by "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Those decisions that have become the Law of the Land have systematically undermined the free expression of religion in public schools, public buildings (government) or almost anywhere someone might be offended.
Non-religious or atheistic fringe groups file lawsuits over almost any reference to God in any sense and they have won time after time. Keep in mind that the numbers of these people who oppose religious freedom are incredibly small. Yet their rights somehow supercede yours and mine. A "constitutional congress" was not established to review or to change or to re-define these traditional religious rights. Our judicial system at the behest of the American Civil Liberties Union and other like-minded groups have taken it upon themselves to battle the religious foundation of our country and to build a more libertine and irreligious mindset amongst its people. And they are winning the battle. Prayer, even non-sectarian prayer at school graduations, at sports events and etc. is prohibited. What happened to our religious freedom? Crosses and religious signage of any sort is being removed from public property. We have all heard of incidences where, for example, the vast majority of a community approve of a cross resting atop a city water tower; only to have it removed because a few people objected.
Abraham Lincoln wrote, "The assurance of our nation’s safety is to lay our foundations in morality and religion."
My concern is this. We have all witnessed a sizeable cultural shift that appears to have a relationship to the demise of religious rights that existed just a few decades ago. We have all seen significant erosion of morals and ethics in this country and it is frightening.
In the Declaration of Independence we find these words:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."
Are we drawing close to the time where we must, once again, become angry and frustrated enough to admit that our religious rights are being reduced through judicial fiat? The Judiciary is part of our Government. Have they overstepped their bounds? Our religious freedoms are being destroyed piece by piece. I no longer consent to what is being done to our freedom of religion. Do you?
Pastor Lin Goodyear