First Amendment
NEWS
West Virginia School District Mandates Religious Freedom Training After Lawsuit
The resulting settlement requires no prohibition on religious free speech, but implements a policy ensuring the beliefs of all students are respected.
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Thoughts on July Fourth, From This Lutheran Catholic Jewish Episcopalian Scientologist
This is no glitch, no coincidence, no afterthought. Religious freedom was built into our nation from the get-go.
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A Curriculum For Our Time: RFI Educates Youth on the Importance of Religious Freedom
“Far too many Americans today simply don’t know that our nation’s founders came to understand religious freedom as our first freedom.”
A Rabbi Speaks Out—Preventing America’s Courts From Becoming Religious Tribunals
What a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge did by interpreting scripture and failing to consult religious authorities on a matter of church doctrine was wrongful.
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American Independence—The Real Revolution
To this day, the effects of that shot continue to be felt as nations come to grips with the concept of individual freedom.
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Church and State: Not Separate At All
The line in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been nearly beaten meaningless by repetition: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This line has been interpreted as a “separation of church and state.”
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Football, Faith and Freedom
We LOVE football in our house. Everybody has a different favorite team they’re passionate about which makes holiday shopping easy. My family has even been sponsoring an all-skill-levels weekly pick-up flag football game in our neighborhood for a decade now.
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Freedom in Prison
If a man breaks the law, does he then lose his right to be treated as a human being? It’s got to be said that here we’re treading on the toes of a very controversial and contentious issue.
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Freedom of Speech Versus the Freedom to Lie
Freedom of speech is a precious gift bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers. Anti-Scientologists routinely abuse that right. I could now proclaim that even though I detest what the haters say about my church, I will defend their right to say it. But I won’t. It would be a lie. Why on earth would I want to defend the abuse of this precious right by for-profit hatemongers?
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Honoring Constitution Day—What the First Amendment Means to an American Scientologist
In keeping with the spirit of the day, I engaged in a bit of reflection on what the Constitution means to me personally. Certainly as a lifelong Scientologist, a religion that emerged in the 20th century, the promise of religious freedom, combined with the prohibition of any official state religion, stand out. Although the forward progress of Scientology has not been without challenges, I’ve personally observed the strong commitment of many Americans to the ideal of religious freedom which has helped it thrive.
