“RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IS IN DANGER OF BECOMING A SECOND–CLASS RIGHT.”
Those are the words of United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, virtually made at a gathering of the FEDERALIST SOCIETY, a group of conservatives and libertarians dedicated to reforming the legal system.
No matter, said Alito, that freedom of religion is the first freedom in the First Amendment, and no matter that the prohibition and restriction upon the Congress and really upon any legal or legislative body, this fundamental right, this first freedom was in danger of being eroded or even eliminated.
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito who is Catholic by faith went on to state again:
“Religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right.”
That was partially because the Corona pandemic, he said, has resulted in “previously unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty.” Most Americans, at least right–thinking Americans would fully agree, wouldn’t you?
The Founding Fathers of our beloved Constitution knew full well the importance of religion in the new world, and the dangers and difficulties which religion posed. So many of the original settlers of our great country came to escape religious persecution or otherwise to practice their religion as they wish and without governmental interference. They wished to worship without fear of persecution. They wanted no government to tell them how to worship, what to worship or when to worship. That is why the First Amendment absolutely and unconditionally prohibits Congress or by extension any other legal body from:
ESTABLISHING ANY RELIGION OF ANY KIND.
But the Founders went further. They also, in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights unconditionally prevented Congress from PROHIBITING the free exercise thereof, religion that is so that faith, worship and religion could be practiced, exercised and carried out without restrictions of any kind. NONE!
But prohibitions, religious prohibitions occur time and again. Witness the well known case which went before the United State Supreme Court known as LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR, protesting the Sisters were the demands, the force of the Obama Administration requiring the Sisters to offer contraceptives and abortive fasciants in their health plans, totally contrary to their sincerely held religious beliefs. And then there was baker Jack Phillips from the once great state of Colorado who was forced to bake for a gay wedding, contrary to his sincerely held religious beliefs, also decided by the Supreme Court. But those, hateful and anti–religious no matter the First Amendment found legal ways for these cases to continue even if both resulted in temporary legal victories for the plaintiffs. With the ever present threat of an ultimate result which would PROHIBIT either plaintiff from practicing and exercising their sincerely held religious beliefs. Justice Alito was right. Unless the Supreme Court provides the protection and the upholding of the FIRST FREEDOM, religious freedom will become a second–class citizen and will eventually be eroded or eliminated. GOD HELP AMERICA!
And there is more, much more in that incredible First Amendment. There is not only the constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion, but:
FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
There is no such thing as freedom of religion unless there is freedom of speech. Religious speech is a critical component of religious freedom. Faith must be expressed. There is testimony and witness required within the church and without. There is prayer, absolutely essential, private and public. There is preaching and sermonizing. There is missionary work and sharing with speech faith and belief. NONE OF THAT CAN BE CURTAILED, NONE! The right to speak freely in all things and especially religion is absolutely guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Speech of any kind cannot be:
ABRIDGED.
It matters not how speech may be described. It cannot be proscribed! It cannot be abridged in any form, NONE.
But it is. There is the nefarious Johnson Act which prohibits Pastors and Christian leaders from using their positions or pulpits to discuss anything political including and especially the endorsement of any candidates or candidate point of view. And that is but one example. The attempt to curtail, ABRIDGE religious speech is an ongoing movement and priority among the liberal, radical, progressive, atheistic crowd which continually seems to get and exercise power and control over such matters. There is always intimidation, and threat, and even violence from time to time. Speech, free religious speech and its component, ARTISTIC EXPRESSION are constantly marginalized, threatened, abridged with impunity. And, says Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, it will only get worse unless the Supreme Court steps in and protects these unconditional and sacrosanct first freedoms.
And the abridgement continues most aggressively with regard to the so called:
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS.
Witness Big Tech, radical, progressive, anti–conservative and anti–Christian. Amazon, Bezos, Twitter, Dorsey, Apple, Cook, Facebook, Zuckerberg, all four platforms and all four Chief Executives liberal, radical, progressive, indifferent to the requirements of the First Amendment. And in fact, they are actually protected in what they do and how they do their business by congressional legislation, a very direct and aggressive form of legislation which the First Amendment ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITS. Why there is no legal challenge to this Big Tech protective legislation is a matter of great concern. Conservative, Christian and religious thought is circumscribed, edited and even eliminated:
SHADOW BANNED.
Witness the banning and elimination of the material published by The New York Post, a strong conservative newspaper by Twitter and the lame, half hearted apology by Chief Executive Jack Dorsey, after the fact and after the damage was done. CENSORSHIP is a way of life with these now absolutely unchecked monopolies. Freedom of the press, print, like speech is being eroded and eliminated by the day. Not only must the Supreme Court step in as Justice Samuel Alito maintains, but Americans must WAKE UP and realize the incredible dangers which now exist and the rapidity with which the erosion or elimination of these basic freedoms in the First Amendment now occur. Are you concerned? You should be. And if you are, you should stand up and do something and do it now. Freedom of religion, and its necessary components freedom of speech and press – print have never been more in danger in our great country.
And then, the First Amendment guarantees, the freedom of ASSEMBLY. Meeting together. Worshiping. Gathering to discuss anything and everything. Gatherings of two or three or more. In churches, synagogues, mosques. Without fear or prohibition. But witness, my fellow Americans, the Corona Effect. Religious houses of worship, churches, synagogues and mosques were shut down. The right to assemble, peaceably assemble was taken away. Governors and legislative bodies forbid collective worship. No matter that restaurants, gyms, shopping malls and others where gathering and assembly was necessary were allowed to open in some states without restriction, the ban against churches continued. Real Christian leaders, men and women of Christian courage and conviction refused. Men like John MacArthur of Grace Community Church defied California Governor Newsom, opened the church, continued the worship and challenged the state to bring legal action against him and his congregation. California Governor Newsom, hypocrite that he is, attending a birthday party at a well known California and American restaurant with 12 or more people, not socially distanced and none wearing masks, never really responded to the challenge of MacArthur and in a courageous act of civil disobedience, with spiritual objectives at work, John MacArthur set an example for all Pastors, all Christian leaders, a path of resistance which many will be required to take as the precious First Amendment right to assemble becomes eroded or even eliminated. I can only hope that you as Christian, Jew or Muslim will fully support any of your religious leaders who stand up with this precious First Amendment right and refuse to be intimated or bullied by radical, progressive, anti–constitutional forces and politicians who champion these anti–constitutional measures.
The First Amendment of the Constitution also guarantees the right to petition to appeal to any legislative bodies for the redress of grievances, whether by speech, press or print, or by peaceful protest or parades, or by public gatherings where legislators convene. You can be certain that radicals will do everything possible to curtail, prevent and eliminate all such public gatherings, even to the point where petitions may well be ignored or even in extreme cases criminalized.
What a world. How America has so radically changed in some 9 months. The words of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito once again:
“The pandemic has resulted in previously unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty (The First Amendment).”
Has it ever. Radicals would seek to introduce socialism as a way of life politically and personally for our great country. These new brutal radicals would seek to do away with First Amendment freedoms and especially the freedom of religion. Now comes a new administration, Biden – Harris and company. They say that Biden is a moderate Democrat. Perhaps but doubtful. But then there is Harris, Kamala Harris, as liberal and radical as they come, a Senator from California with the most radical voting record of any United States Senator. She may someday be President by default should anything happen to Biden. In any event, she and her ilk, Sanders, Warren, Tlaib, Omar, AOC and the like including of course the insidious BLACK LIVES MATTER entity will exercise considerable influence over presidential decisions and move America direction – left. But, if Harris ever becomes President, there will be in America an incredible:
LURCH TO THE LEFT.
And for all intents and purposes, it will be the end of the America we now know and love. I pray that doesn’t happen, don’t you? WE THE PEOPLE must stand alert as watchmen and women on our political walls and now as the war for freedom wages, we must STAND UP, move from mere talk to strong action so that we do everything possible to preserve, protect and defend our basic freedoms especially those five fundamental rights in the First Amendment. If we don’t, gone.
Remember the words of President Ronald Reagan:
FREEDOM IS ONLY ONE GENERATION AWAY FROM EXTINCTION.
The freedoms we now enjoy and unfortunately take for granted are on the verge of serious erosion or elimination. Only you, only I can prevent that from happening. Will you? Will you stand up and do something, DO SOMETHING? Now or never my fellow Americans. I pray you have the courage and character to stand up for America and the freedoms we all enjoy.
PLEASE DO IT!