Our freedom of religion is in a way tied up with our freedom of speech for both rights are listed under the 1st amendment in the Bill of Rights. I will similarly discuss the Constitutional meaning and state some historical facts as done so in my previous blog. Likewise, I'll provide some examples of how this right is a benefit as well as a privilege for every American.
The US Constitution states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." In my own words, this gives us the freedom to practice, worship and preach any religion of our choice in private or public. The "Establishment Clause" emphasizes that the federal government may not establish a church or become overly involved in a religion that one can view as favoring one religion over another. This right is one that we should all be thankful for because we are not forced to belief in a religion and are given the right to choose a religion or not.
There are many religious beliefs out there such as Jewish, Baptist, Catholic, Protestant and many others that we can practice. I absolutely disagree in any religion that practices in arranged marriages such as Muslim and Mormon. An arranged marriage is where the bride and groom have no voice in their marriage because it was previously arranged by their parents. In the Muslim culture, the men view themselves as the dominant family member and are willing to kill their daughter(s) or wife if they are presumed to have dishonored the family name. In January of 2008, a Texas man had killed his 16 and 18 year old daughters for dating non-Muslim boys. As for the Mormon religion, I think it's insane for any woman to allow their daughter to marry a man who has multiple wives. This religion believes that only men who marry, at a minimum, 3 women or more will have the right to enter into heaven.
Could you imagine if our country forced us into a religion? We'd have many more issues and debates then ever before. Freedom of religion is one of several rights that benefit every American.
1 comment:
I lived in Salt Lake City and had plenty of LDS (Mormon) friends. Arranged marriages among the regular LDS church are not common, nor is taking multiple wives (that ended 100 years ago). Might you be speaking of the more fundamentalist strain, like the FDLS?
Also, be careful about overgeneralizing. I'm willing to bet that while many Muslim men might take their power too far and harm family members who fall out of line, this isn't the case with all. And this happens in belief systems outside Islam, too. Look at the situation with the Austrian father who kidnapped his own daughter for 20+ years...
But you make interesting points about certain practices done in the name of religion. What do you think reinforces these practices/beliefs? Why would women take part in any behavior (polygamous marriage, arranged marraiges) in which there might be the chance they'd marry someone they didn't want to? What's happening in the undercurrent?
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