THE FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION STATES: “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 OF THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE PEACEABLY TO ASSEMBLE, AND TO PETITION THE GOVERNMENT FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES.”
The First Amendment refers to “freedom of religion”—not “freedom from religion.” For decades, leftist groups, particularly the ACLU, have used lawsuits to distort America’s history, twisting the Constitution into an enemy of any religion, rather than a protector of all. Correcting that error is a primary goal of the ACRU.
The latest liberal argument reduces the scope of “freedom of religion” by substituting the phrase “freedom to worship.” Because tearing down churches would be too overt, the Left is attempting to make churches irrelevant to public life, by forcing them to acquiesce to an ever-evolving secular “morality.” As a result, churches are finding it increasingly difficult to conduct charitable activities, harming the most vulnerable among us.
Meanwhile, the ACLU and other atheist groups are eviscerating America’s Christian heritage by forcing the removal of Christian—and sometimes Jewish—symbols from the public square. This includes Ten Commandment monuments or crosses, large or small, at veterans’ memorials such as Mt. Soledad in San Diego.
Increasingly, traditional morality is being redefined as a form of “hate speech.” This effectively criminalizes dissent as Leftists twist the meaning of “tolerance” into intolerance for dissenting viewpoints of any kind.
The good news is that the Constitution is very clear and can’t be ignored. The ACRU is determined to do everything it can to protect and advance the “unalienable right” of freedom of religion guaranteed to all by America’s Founders.
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ACTIVITY
Press Release: The Disturbing Religion of the Left
“There is a reason why the very first freedom for Americans in our individual Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments, is the freedom of religion and the free exercise thereof. The founding fathers were very aware of what drove the first Pilgrims to the shores of America . . . and it ain't the insidious 1619 Project assertion.” ACRU Executive Director Allen West continues, “The left has a very disturbing religion, and to defy them, regardless of your faith, results in persecution and potential prosecution.”
Von Spakovsky: ‘Conservatives Need Not Apply’ Under Proposed Team Biden Hiring Rules
In a move that has gotten little notice in the press, the Biden administration is proposing federal hiring rules that easily could be abused to deny employment to anyone who questions liberal, woke policies, criticizes the government, or belongs to a politically incorrect organization.
Von Spakovsky: FEC Needs To Reopen Twitter Probe Now That Documents Musk Released Show Company May Have Outright Lied
The Federal Election Commission is responsible for enforcing the act that governs the raising and spending of money in federal campaigns. Last year, the commission dismissed a complaint filed against Twitter and its executives that claimed they had violated federal law. Given the recent public disclosures of internal as well as external Twitter communications with campaign and party organizations, the FEC should reopen that investigation. It must determine if that dismissal was based on false information provided by Twitter.
Von Spakovsky: Republican National Committee Targets Google’s Censorship in Lawsuit
After enduring years of targeted censorship, the Republican National Committee is suing Google for its bulk-labeling of millions of RNC campaign email communications to its supporters and donors as “spam” during “pivotal points in election cycles.”
Von Spakovsky: DOJ Harasses Citizens for Exercising First Amendment Rights
The Justice Department has hit Eagle Forum of Alabama with a voluminous subpoena that violates the organization’s First Amendment rights to speak freely, engage in the political process, and talk to its elected representatives.
Hans von Spakovsky: Thomas Fires Warning Shot at Media, Organizations That Lie About Conservatives
If you are a private figure and The New York Times or the Southern Poverty Law Center publishes a lie about you, you simply have to prove that the statement was false and harmed your reputation. The fact that the publisher didn’t know or care that the statement was false is irrelevant. But if you are a “public figure,” you not only have to prove that the statement was false and harmed your reputation, but that the statement was made “with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not.” And the definition of who is a public figure constantly has expanded since 1964.