Backround Information

My topic is religion and it is one of the most highly controversial and debated topics there are, but there is a reason why there are very few big disputes over it in America. Freedom of religion is one of the best laws in the United States because although we have certain disputes and intolerance's, America is very tolerant for such a controversial subject. Religion is everywhere even places it is not supposed to be such as schools and the government. Religion can be found in many places in the government such as courts, when one is sworn in with the bible to tell the truth, or in the Declaration of independence there are many inferences to a God or a supreme being, or even in the constitution where it is stated, "the year of our lord,". Although it is spotted in the certain places the founders of our country went to a far extent to see that our religious freedoms were protected. These attempts can be shown in the first amendment in the first provision prohibits Congress from passing laws leading to "an establishment of religion." The second provision restrains Congress from "prohibiting the free exercise thereof." When the law was made to allow freedom of religion and protection from it as well, they meant to keep one religion from dominating society and to allow equal influence of other religions as well. This is exhibited by an analogy that Thomas Jefferson made where he referred to a "wall of separation of church and state,". The government also saw it only fitting to keep religion out of schools because it is impossible to teach every religion and equally represent all of them without separating students, yet evolution is being taught; which is an alternate belief but still in description a religion. Laws were made to keep religion out of schools such as the first amendment, and there have been many court cases discussing the legality of certain religious exceptions and situations in schools like in Engel v. Vitale (1962) where a standard prayer was made for all students non specific yet it was struck down because it forces those who do not believe in a religion at all to pray or it may have favored one religion over another putting students who were unfamiliar with it into a unfair position. Whenever evolution is brought up creationism comes along with it, therefore religion being intertwined with a lot of things that students learn. The government is very particular as to what they allow to be taught in schools in terms of religion."In 1925, the legislature of Tennessee passed a law making it illegal to teach evolution in schools in that state. In the nationally publicized Scopes trial, a schoolteacher named John T. Scopes was found guilty of breaking that law and fined $100." Religion is also unavoidably in government because many of the morals that America is built off of are morals of certain religions, those that in turn will be favored by the government having influence over its people, such as do not steal, or do not kill (from the ten commandments). The very framework of America is based on quotes like these “one nation under God” making a religion-free government practically impossible. Even with theses factors, this statement "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” allows for the government to have no say as to what people believe, only to how they are governed. The factors of religion that make it so important are that in American we are all able to decide our own, they are many times what people base their values and live their lives upon, and much of the time religion determines right and wrong. To be tolerant to others who have different religions is to accept that America is home to a great diversity of people who have the awareness and longing to be one regardless of differences and this is what makes America one of the happiest countries on earth. Although it is known that religion is somewhat involved in places where in theory it shouldn't’t be, schools and government, it is these faults that make us tolerant of minorities and less ignorant creating a country where people can feel comfortable with their beliefs. To the core religion is what each holds to be personally true, and living in a country where we are allowed and set up to do so makes it much easier to be happy and see the other side as well.