OUR VIEW: Worship how where or what we may

Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are easily recognized and highly-debated elements of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. When censorship in any form is practiced, legal battles are waged in the court rooms to protect what many consider an almost sacred right. Censorship is seen as a great evil that should not be imposed on writing or speech.

With all the attention freedom of speech and freedom of the press receive, how is it that the same principles are not always applied to the freedom of religion?

Freedom of religion, and the restriction on the government to prohibit the free exercise thereof, is one of the five guarantees of the First Amendment to protect basic freedoms that hail to the ideas of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Religious freedom is an ideal that was extremely important to the founders of this nation who were subjected to religious tyranny in their native England. The idea of a free nation where religions of all types could be practiced was highly valued – a far cry from the state-dominated Church of England the monarchy endorsed.

America has been hailed as a melting pot of ideas, peoples, cultures and even religions. The right to worship whatever and whomever is a cardinal principle.

That being said, is this principle of religious freedom still available to all citizens today? What about locally? In a state predominately one religion, members of other faiths are often ostracized and criticized for their religious beliefs. Frequently it is the other way around. Perhaps this is not always intentional. Often it is. Either way it is wrong.

What about their right to worship the way they desire?

Too often religious freedom is valued only by those who are oppressed, not by those who are the oppressors. It seems it is fair game to infringe upon the religious rights of others but as soon as that person’s rights are infringed, it gets personal. Isn’t this just a case of religious censorship? Some try to suppress religious ideas that are not their own out of fear, misunderstanding or ignorance. These are the same reasons printed material or the spoken word are censored. Thus, those who disparage the religious beliefs of others are disregarding the First Amendment in multiple ways.

Part of the college experience is to be exposed to new ideas and new belief systems. These beliefs may stare full in the face of what you believe, but that does not mean you have the right to infringe upon the religious rights of those people, nor does it mean those people have a right to infringe upon your religious beliefs. Religion is often placed on the same level with politics as a subject that is taboo to talk about. Perhaps if we could see the value of openly sharing and respecting the ideas of others, there wouldn’t be the religious turmoil we see in the world today. One group hates on another. Why? Fear, resentment and ignorance are among the many reasons. Perhaps the biggest reason is the lack of respect for other beliefs.

Nobody can force you to believe what they believe but they have every right to believe the way they do, as do you, and we all have a constitutional obligation to uphold the right to freedom of religion.