We have been writing on the issue of Freedom of Religion for over nine years. Lately we have been observing that religious liberty is under assault in America and the traditional understanding of the First Amendment is in the process of being redefined. Our greatest disappointment is that so many Americans appear to accept the substitution of ‘freedom of worship’ for the traditional understanding of freedom of religion.

Here’s one of the best articles I have read summarizing what has happened lately to the freedom of religion in America:

“The Decline—and Fall?—of Religious Freedom in America” by Bruce Abramson

The essay appears in the Mosaic Magazine and not only brings a Jewish perspective to the table, but provides a good summary of the on-going process to change and limit our First Amendment rights to religious liberty and religious practice in the USA.

In different sections of his essay, Abramson talks about the difference between ‘freedom of worship’ and freedom of religion, the history of  RFRAs and the rise of the anti-RFRA movement, possible future problems for Jewish freedom, and the assertion of new ‘dogmas’ concerning religious freedom abuses and limitations.

Here are several poignant quotes from the essay:

American society is thus rethinking the relationship between church and state, returning once again to a fundamental question: once the state has spoken, why should it make room for what the church, any church, has to say? …

Throughout American history, most legal scholars believed that the First Amendment recognized the right to lead a faith-based life, to follow a minority moral code. That belief has now changed.  …

But the First Amendment does not guarantee the freedom of worship; it guarantees the free exercise of religion—a much broader concept that explicitly includes the right to lead a faith-based life and to behave in a manner that faith dictates and eschew choices that faith prohibits.  …

Freedom of religion falls when we refuse to allow people to align their lives, their families, and their businesses with the dictates of their faith. And if freedom of religion falls, so do all of our other rights.

If you really want to begin to understand this issue more fully and the possible ramifications for the future, I highly recommend reading this essay in its entirety.            *Top

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