Gordon G

Debate and Democracy

During the Christmas season, a small sign was erected in the Wisconsin State capitol
building. It read At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail. There are no
gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but
myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds. The reverse side included a quote
and a slogan reminding viewers to keep religion separate from state. Similar signs were posted
in state capitols in Washington, Rhode Island, Florida, Illinois, and Texas. For obvious reasons,
this sign caused numerous reactions across the country. The organization distributing these signs
called themselves the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Their main goal, as indicated by their
signs, was to ensure the separation of religion from state. While the views expressed on their
plaques may be offensive to religious people, they serve an essential purpose in maintaining both
our first amendment rights and our democracy.
Freedom is one of the defining features of our nation, and we owe it in part to the
freedom of religion granted by the constitution. The true effect of this freedom is clearest when
looking at countries that lack freedom of religion. In China, people practicing religions that are
unregistered with the government face varying amounts of persecution, ranging from
imprisonment to forced religious conversion. Technically, the Chinese constitution allows for
freedom of religion, but it includes a clause saying that the government can monitor normal
religious activity. This monitoring gives the government the ability to prosecute people based
on their religious affiliation. Our freedom of speech keeps the same from happening to religious
minorities in the United States because it is the basis of our freedom of religion. By exercising
our right of free speech in order to protect our freedom of religion, we protect our freedom of
speech as well. When combined, these two things ensure that religious minorities can still have a
voice in national decisions, which is one of the keys of a successful democracy. Minorities must
have voices if their needs are to be met, and a nation that identifies a national religion or
prohibits certain religious practices all but silences these voices.
Although our religious freedom is a constitution-granted right, it takes groups like the
Freedom From Religion Foundation and statements like theirs to maintain this freedom. There
are endless examples of things that blur the lines between religion and state, ranging from the
God Bless America tagged on to the end of virtually every political speech to schools
attempts to ban the teaching of evolution in public schools. Aside from their plaques, the
Freedom From Religion Foundation has taken up multitudes of legal cases that question the
constitutionality of issues like these. In one such case, a school district in Tennessee required
students to take a bible class as a part of their elementary school curriculum. The FFRF sued the
school district and won, with the court ruling that it is unconstitutional to teach the bible as
literal truth to students. Without a group like the Foundation, it is entirely possible that the
school district could have continued their teachings without consequences, in spite of its obvious
unconstitutionality. When they fall out of use, all constitutional rights are subject to be violated,
which is why it is so important that organizations like the Foundation continue to advocate for
our rights.
The Foundations work is certainly important, but the responses that it caused are more
important still. The Foundation met with much resistance when posting plaques in different
states. Officials in Texas actually refused to hang the Foundations banner on Henderson County
Courthouse property. In Washington, the Westboro Baptist church asked to have a sign reading
Santa Claus will take you to Hell hung next to the Foundations sign. It is these examples of
opposition rather than the plaques themselves that best show the importance of free speech in a
democracy. The Freedom From Religion Foundation has the right to hang their plaques, and by
the same amendment, everybody else has the right to protest them. This cycle helps maintain
both our freedom of speech and our democracy by reminding people of their rights.
Imagine a country in which the Foundation couldnt post their plaques, or where the
Westboro Baptist Church couldnt protest them. Freedom of religion allows Americans to
exercise free thought without the threat of persecution by the government. So what would
happen if we took that freedom away? In mainstream Islamic law, matters of state and matters of
church are considered to be the same thing. This means that the church would have power
through the government to mandate their religion and outlaw others. This removes the safety and
support that religious minorities feel in America and can lead to a religious monoculture. If,
instead of having endless religions to choose from, there was only one option, it is almost
guaranteed that some people would be dissatisfied with that religion. This in turn often leads to
internal conflict and unrest, all because of the removal of one simple freedom. This is a perfect
example of why our constitutional rights are important not just to ourselves, but also to the
government. Our government relies on us to exercise these freedoms in order to prevent such
uprising. The government is often construed to be trying to limit our constitutional rights, but in
reality, they rely on our using them just as much as we rely on them for maintaining our
freedoms.
As simple as it was, this one small sign created a national response that had certain
groups up in arms against its controversial perspective. The Foundations plaques are a small
representation of a much larger idea. The number of anti-religious demonstrations across the
country is surpassed only by the number of religious protests to these demonstrations. Together,
the two sides of this ongoing debate and others like it keep our democracy in the balance. A
democracy thrives on these disputes and controversies because it gives room for tangible change.
Freedom of speech encourages both of these things to blossom in our society, and by doing so,
protects the integrity of our nation.
Works Cited
"Freedom From Religion Foundation." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Sept. 2014. Web.
06 Oct. 2014.
"Freedom of Religion in China." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2014. Web. 06 Oct.
2014.