WHAT RIGHTS DOES THE 1st. AMENDMENT PROTECT?
How do we know if we believe in the 1st amendment?
1st Amendment- “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.”
I have heard it said that there are five liberties protected by the 1st Amendment, but as I see it, there are six separate rights, or freedoms, protected by this one LAW. I will address them separately. Below I have listed these separate protections.
A “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,”
B “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”
C “or abridging the freedom of speech,”
D “or of the press;”
E “or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,”
F “and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
Let’s take a closer look at what is said. What this FIRST protection declared in our Constitution’s Bill Of Rights? What PERSONAL PROTECTIONS, is this LAW designed to protect?
A “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,”
This is known as the “establishment clause,” and very few Americans seem to interpret it according to its historic application, and the foundational reasoning for which it was drafted.
Many people tend to couple this clause with the Jefferson quote concerning the , “separation of church and state,” and assert that this forbids religious organizations, or persons, from participating in political matters, and individuals from stating, or exercising their religious beliefs in public, (unless those religious beliefs promote atheisim.)
It is Important to realize that, “separation of church and state,” appears nowhere in the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, or any Amendment to the Constitution, nor does it appear in any record of the debate over the construction of the 1st Amendment. To assert it as clarification to the intent of this amendment is ludicrous.
The clear meaning of this clause is that Congress has NO SAY CONCERNING ANYTHING REGARDING RELIGIOUS MATTERS. The extent of Congress’s authority in religious matters is to forbid influencing them. As they had experienced in England, there was to be no Church of the USA, nor is the US government authorized to interfere in religious matters.
B “or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”
All American citizens are free to believe, and/or worship freely in whatever religion, or faith, their conscience dictates, without restrictions, or guidance by the US government. There is no mention of where these religious activities, (beliefs, and/or worship,) are allowed, or not allowed to occur. Congress simply has NO JURISDICTION over religious matters.
C “or abridging the freedom of speech,”
This clause does not mention any type of speech that is allowed, or forbidden. It simply means that NO SPEECH is to be dictated, or curtailed by the US government. Congress, (and by extension, the United States government,) has NO AUTHORITY over ANY INDIVIDUAL’s speech.
Clauses B-F are all predicated on the phrase, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of..”
D “or of the press;”
What does these words, “the press,” refer to? Does it refer to organizations that have asserted themselves as the modern day guardians of American conscience, or is it a shortened term, meaning all that issues from the use of the printing “press?” I’ll leave you to decide. The simplest explanation is that Congress has NO AUTHORITY over what is printed.
E “or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,”
Does this mention what kind of assembly is allowed? Are there any forms of assembly that are forbidden? If we return to the beginning of this sentence, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” we will note that Congress is forbidden from respecting any establishment of religion, or prohibition of the free exercise of, religion, free speech, the fruit of the printing press, and the right to peaceable assembly, for any reason.
F “and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
It is un-American to support the forfeiture, of any of these clauses of this God-given right to freedom of religion, speech, and assembly.
It should be noted that the first element of these stipulations is, the FREEDOM OF RELIGION. Do you believe that this is by coincidence? Do you think that this is just a random list of things that they thought might be secured for the American people, or is it possible that they realized that if religious freedom was denied, no other “right” could be secure?
I believe that there is a reason why this is the First Amendment, and there is a reason why religious freedom is the first element of that first amendment. We ignore these truths to our own peril, and to the peril of American, civil society.
God bless you, Dave