Thursday, December 14, 2006

THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE


By de Andréa

Isn’t it interesting that when some of us read; whether it is a text book, a novel, the Bible, or the Constitution, and despite what is written, we are cognizant only of what we want to perceive is written.

A prime example if this phenomenon is the First Amendment, the first part of article 1 of the Bill is, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”…Commonly referred to as THE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE. The interesting part is, that there is an ever growing blindness to the second, and just as important part of that protected right, known as THE EXERCISE CLAUSE. …”or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;”… Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion, as well as a law to establish a national religion.

George Masson, the architect of the Bill of Rights was no one’s fool. When he wrote that part of the first Amendment, which was to prevent government from controlling religion as it had done so often in the past, Masson included the right of exercising ones religion to place balance in the law. Moreover, if one will notice it reads free exercise not just exercise, otherwise one might interpret it to mean limited exercise.

Not only is the government ordered to stay out of our religious beliefs, but is prohibited from the interfering encroachment of freely exercising our religion. As with all of our rights as human beings and Free Americans our rights do not come from the Government or the Constitution, but as it is written in the declaration they come from our creator. The Constitutional Amendment is just the written documentation of what the right is. Moreover, it does not guarantee the right; the right is not only given to us by our creator but it is also guaranteed by our creator.

This is what the Constitutional Framers knew to be true, and so the document was written with that discipline as its foundation. This is why no one, including any government can change, alter, modify, or otherwise deny one their rights.

While one cannot be forced to adopt any kind of religious belief, one equally cannot be denied the right to freely exercise ones own beliefs. To freely exercise means publicly as well as privately, if this were not true then it would be a limited exercise not a free exercise. To display the Ten Commandments in a public school does not mean that it is a violation of the establishment clause. If in fact the U.S. Government forced or even endorsed the display of a religious belief it would be a violation, but if it is freely expressed then it is upheld by the exercise clause.

Nativity scenes at Christmas or Menorahs at Hanukkah, A cross on a church or a grave, a crescent star on a mosque, a Star of David on a synagogue or in a window, a religious symbol displayed on clothing or on ones automobile is-free exercise, whether it is displayed in public or private. Saying the rosary or praying or reading ones holy book on public property, is free-exercise. Even in government buildings the display of the Ten Commandment in our Courts, the very foundation of law around the world is built on the Ten Commandments, and the government buildings belong to the free people, who’s right it is to freely exercise their beliefs.

As long a the Congress itself does not pass a law establishing a religious doctrine then the people have the right to the free exercise of their various beliefs, freely, in public or private.

The First Amendment does not constitute a separation of Church from State with respect to the free exercise thereof; it prevents the State from making laws respecting any religion. In other words there is not a Separation Clause in the first Amendment or any other Amendment for that matter, or in the entire Constitution or any other U.S. Government document legal or historical.

As mentioned at the beginning, we are only Cognizant of what we want to perceive. We will choose to read what is not written; and we will choose not read what is written.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The basic law of freedom demands that all laws, legal and binding be written to protect the inalienable rights of a free person, conversely no law, legal and or binding can legally be written to deny a free person of their rights, if this is not respected, then we have lost our freedom, religious or otherwise, and are living under an oppressive tyranny...

Happy Birthday Bill of Rights! Born December 15, 1791 you are 215 years old on December 15, 2006. May you live forever…

de Andréa

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