FREEDOM OF RELIGION

Freedom of religion also means freedom FROM religion. The US constitution forbids allowing governments to do or not do something because a religion demands it.

This means that, we as a people, believe that each citizen is responsible for his/her own moral choices. My religion told me to do it, is not an excuse acceptable in US courts.

This is so ingrained in our laws and philosophy that we forget much of the world still allows religion to make ALL moral choices.

Historically, all this started when Martin Luther nailed a statement, that the church had become immoral, on to the door of a church in Germany. This morphed into many Protestant religions who believed that THEY could read the word of God for themselves.

When these many churches came to North America, they each set up little towns who punished non-believers who were just traveling through. These punishments were so irritating, that just about everyone was in agreement that the other person's religion should not become the law of the land.

Of course in the beginning, this freedom of and from religion was only granted to white, rich Christians.

But the US is the first country founded on the principle that what is illegal is not governed by religion. Each citizen is free to believe what they wish. All of us vote to make the laws that we must obey. And the court system hopefully prevents the majority from taking unfair advantage of the minorities.

(This also means that all of you who spin fantasies of the US adopting Sharia law do not have the remotest idea about the true value of the US Constitution.)