Too many fundamentalists these days think the term "religious freedom" means only the right to force others to recognize and participate in their religion (through force of government if necessary). But this was not how our Founding Fathers understood it. When they included "religious freedom" in the Bill of Rights, they meant to assure that all Americans could believe in any religion (or no religion) without any interference from the government (at any level). Our Constitution protects the right to believe in religions such as islam, hinduism, taoism, wicca, buddhism, judaism, or any other religion just as much as it protects the right to believe in christianity -- and it also protects the right to believe in no religion or no god at all.
Politics Magazine
Too many fundamentalists these days think the term "religious freedom" means only the right to force others to recognize and participate in their religion (through force of government if necessary). But this was not how our Founding Fathers understood it. When they included "religious freedom" in the Bill of Rights, they meant to assure that all Americans could believe in any religion (or no religion) without any interference from the government (at any level). Our Constitution protects the right to believe in religions such as islam, hinduism, taoism, wicca, buddhism, judaism, or any other religion just as much as it protects the right to believe in christianity -- and it also protects the right to believe in no religion or no god at all.
