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.
Support the ACRU’s work on the First Amendment by donating today.
ACTIVITY
It wasn’t just religious liberty that Chief Justice Roberts strangled
Chief Justice John Roberts ruled this week that religious gatherings have the same constitutional protections as football games or Who concerts and therefore state governments CAN limit access to worship. The Chief Justice sided with the 4 leftist judges to reach this conclusion. We wish we were making this up. This has left us gasping in surprise, but not giving up - EVER - on defending your first freedom to worship.
ACRU’s von Spakovsky: Governors can’t suspend the First Amendment
A federal district court judge has taught Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (a Democrat) a valuable lesson: The COVID-19 pandemic does not give her the right to suspend the First Amendment right of Kansans to practice their religious beliefs. Several other state and local officials should take heed, too. Kelly signed a series of executive orders restricting public and private activities due to the COVID-19 crisis. On April 7, she issued Executive Order 20-18, prohibiting “mass gatherings” of more than 10 people in a confined or enclosed space. Violators were subject to up to a year in prison, a $2,500 fine, or both.
Happy Birthday to America’s First Freedoms from ACRU
Washington, DC.—Today Americans celebrate the 232nd anniversary of the completed signing of the United States Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787 by thirty-nine Founding Fathers. By ratifying this brilliant document, they made America a nation uniquely founded on liberty like no other country in the world.
How the ‘Revolution’ Is Eating Its Own
The ACLU gets stung on campus, and wants the courts to enter the "political thicket" of redistricting.
The Last Real Election
It could mean the end of a competitive, two-party national system.
Playing the Race Card before Election Day
Is it racist to require people to show a photo ID when they vote? You need a photo ID for nearly any meaningful transaction, such as cashing checks, including government checks. If this simple requirement "suppresses" the vote, maybe we need to ask why it's such a great idea to push for universal suffrage for every adult who is merely breathing. Of course, even this latter requirement would suppress the vote in Chicago and New Orleans, where dead people get to vote all the time - and do so cheerfully.