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

BRIEF: Statement on Coach Kennedy Case

As the Executive Director of the American Constitutional Rights Union, I commend the US Supreme Court once again for ruling on the side of the Constitution and individual rights. The Coach Kennedy case was a secular humanist and progressive socialist challenge to our very first liberty, the freedom of religion and the free exercise thereof. Coach Kennedy's actions of taking a knee in prayer after HS football games was a personal right. He did not advocate for or seek any state, government, endorsement, nor coerce anyone to enjoin with him. We have distorted the concept of Separation of Church and State, written by Thomas Jefferson in his letter to the Danbury (CT) Baptist convention. Solemn, silent, and solitary individual prayer by anyone in any venue is not a sponsorship of government religion. It is a sacred part of our Judeo-Christian faith heritage which should not be separated from any American citizen.

U.S. Supreme Court Protects Free Exercise and Free Speech: Rights of Football Coach Who Sought to Pray Privately

In Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, the U.S. Supreme Court held that the School District violated Coach Joseph Kennedy’s constitutional rights when it disciplined him for praying silently at midfield following football games. It concluded that both the Free Exercise Clause and the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment protected Kennedy’s conduct. The Court further rejected the School District’s assertion that it feared an Establishment Clause violation if it allowed Kennedy to continue with his private prayers.

Allen West: Everyone and Everything Is Racist….if You Disagree With the Left

During the 2020 election cycle, Joe Biden made the abhorrent claim that being Black was contingent upon voting for him. He infamously asserted, "if you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black." Doggone, what shall I list as my ethnicity on my ATF Form 4473 the next time I go to purchase a firearm, as a law-abiding citizen? The new line of attack for the progressive socialist left in America is to denigrate anyone and everything as racist. It is what we are witnessing as cultural Marxism manifests in absurdities such as critical race theory and equity programs. To the left, it is simple, divide America into two categories, oppressors and oppressed.

Hans von Spakovsky: YouTube Censors Strike Again for No Good Reason, Then Do About-Face

YouTube’s censors have struck again, removing a podcast discussing election integrity that it claims violates its “misinformation policy.”The podcast, hosted by Jacob Kersey, was an interview of me at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, in February 2021 and had been on YouTube for more than a year before it was suddenly taken down.YouTube never responded to Kersey’s appeal of the ban, but a day after Douglas Blair wrote about the censorship in The Daily Signal, the video suddenly reappeared on the website. Kersey says he received no explanation from YouTube for its actions.

Allen West: A Bridge Too Far, the Demise of the Democrats

If you are a student of history, you will recognize the title of this missive. If you are not, let me explain. After the successful landings in Normandy the Allies began pushing through the hedgerows and set their sights on crossings into Germany. One of the plans, offered by British General Montgomery, was to spearhead a combined airborne and ground assault through the Netherlands and cross the Rhine River into northern Germany. The operation was to be called Market (Airborne) Garden (Ground). It was to be the largest airborne operation ever known and it pulled together US and British Airborne forces who were to seize critical bridges along a singular route enabling the British Armored XXX Corps to push through.