Soviet Constitution: ARTICLE 124. In order to ensure to citizens freedom of conscience, the church in the U.S.S.R. is separated from the state, and the school from the church. Freedom of religious worship and freedom of anti religious propaganda is recognized for all citizens. (notice: no freedom of pro religious propaganda)
VS.
US Constitution: 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.
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Somewhere along the way I think we may have gotten confused...... our current understanding of US religious freedom and separation of church and state seems to be much closer to that of the Soviet Constitution than that of our own. We have been taught that our freedom of religion stops when we exit the church and our freedom to pray stops at our front doors. It does not. We have been taught that separation of church and state is in our Constitution, it is not. It originated (in this nation) from a private letter written by Thomas Jefferson, where he was actually trying to reassure a citizen that the government would not interfere in her religious practices, not the other way around.
It was actually the congress that had the first English bibles printed in these United States for the use in schools!!! That does not sound like separation of church and state to me. Politicians still swear into office on a Bible! ...I am surprised that has not been attacked more strongly, given the current understanding of things. It is now being said that any prayer in public building is prohibited, even voluntary prayer, even though Sunday services used to be held IN the US Capitol buildings. People have been stopped from praying on the steps of the Supreme Court, children stopped from singing the National Anthem at the Lincoln Memorial!! Things are so twisted these days. Where has the freedom of religion gone?
It was actually the congress that had the first English bibles printed in these United States for the use in schools!!! That does not sound like separation of church and state to me. Politicians still swear into office on a Bible! ...I am surprised that has not been attacked more strongly, given the current understanding of things. It is now being said that any prayer in public building is prohibited, even voluntary prayer, even though Sunday services used to be held IN the US Capitol buildings. People have been stopped from praying on the steps of the Supreme Court, children stopped from singing the National Anthem at the Lincoln Memorial!! Things are so twisted these days. Where has the freedom of religion gone?
That's right, Danielle. Good for you, honey!
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