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Shelbyville, Tennessee ~ Thursday, November 20, 2008
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The Bill of Rights - Amendment I
Posted Wednesday, January 2, 2008, at 3:50 PM<< Previous | Read comments | Respond | Email link | Next >>
Over the next few days (10 exactly) I'll be posting the first ten amendments to The Constitution of The United States of America (The Bill of Rights). I'd like to have an intelligent discussion of how we interpret these rights to better understand them in today's society.
Amendment I: "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 the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
In this amendment, the forefathers noted several things that Congress will make no law regarding:
1. Congress will not write a law establishing a national religion. This was one of the reasons that our country was founded to begin with.
2. The people will have the freedom to exercise their religion without interference from the government.
3. The people will have the freedom to speak their minds without worry of retribution from the government.
4. The press will have the right to investigate and print factual information without fear of retribution from the government.
5. The people will have the right to assemble and protest, in a peaceable manner, without interference from the government.
6. The people will have the right to petition the government when they have a complaint regarding the running of our government, without fear of retribution.
How do you interpret these rights that were granted to us by the founders of our nation? Comments Showing comments in chronological order [Show most recent comments first] |
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In the interest of political correctness, I think Congress has actually infringed on number 1. I agree, Gov should stay out of our beliefs.
It would just be nice if the press accurately separated what was fact and what was their opinion.
The Amendment seems pretty clear as originally stated. I am not surprised that we mess it up by trying to "interpret" it.
Steve, I agree wholeheartedly. This is one of the most straight-forward things that has ever been published. Unfortunately people have a tendency to read into it and add and detract from it. If you read this Amendment word for word, it does not say anything regarding keeping religion out of the government, it is geared toward keeping the government out of religion. Congress has repeatedly infringed on this one and so has the Supreme Court (supposedly the guardians of our Constitution). People have the right to exercise their religion without interference by the government. The "nine wise souls" have, more often than not, sided with those who think that the First Amendment means that your child can't pray in school. I don't care what religion you are, you have the RIGHT to exercise your religion, as long as it isn't infringing on someone else's right to exercise their freedoms, whenever and wherever you like.
Lest we forget that freedom of reigion that our country was founded on was Christianity and none else.
There were no muslims or buddhist or any other that come over here.
The Christians did not want to be told how they had to worship or when or how they had to interpet scriptures.
John Adams:
" The general principles upon which the Fathers achieved independence were the general principals of Christianity… I will avow that I believed and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God."
* "[July 4th] ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty."
--John Adams in a letter written to Abigail on the day the Declaration was approved by Congress
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." --October 11, 1798
"I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen." December 25, 1813 letter to Thomas Jefferson
"Without Religion this World would be Something not fit to be mentioned in polite Company, I mean Hell." [John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, April 19, 1817]
I respect othe religions to an extent , but this country was founded on Christianity and none other.
The Jewish faith was very important so might I add we were founded on Judeo-Christian values.
Michael, just because some of the founding fathers were Christians and some of the religions found in America today were not present in colonial America, does not mean that other religions did not exist at that time. You are just unaware of them because they are not prevalent in 2007 America and you didn't take the time to get the facts before making such assertions.
The founding fathers were vastly Christian, but they set these rights up in order to protect all religions, not JUST Christianity. That was obviously the most important issue in their minds since it was placed absolutely first.
The religions existed but they did not come over on the MAYFLOWER
Michael, the passengers on the Mayflower were NOT the founding fathers of our country. They were NOT the authors of the Constitution. The Mayflower landed on November 9th, 1620, just less than 156 years before the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. As a matter of fact, if you want to go beyond that, the Mayflower passengers were simply a group of people that had arrived a hundred and seven years after the first permanent settlement in what is currently The United States of America. As a matter of fact, the first African indentured servants (slaves) arrived a year prior to the Mayflower, in 1619. I'm betting that they weren't of the Christian faith, but that doesn't mean that we should all have to believe the same way that they did.
Exactly Thom... good point!