Cases About The Judicial Branch Forbidding The Free Exercise Of Religion In America

In America religious oppression is the normal with activist judges and politicians backing it up consistently. I will cover two cases which prove this hypothesis is true.

One case is about Cynthia Simpson a Wicca petitioned the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors to add her name to those who open board meetings with a prayer. The board turned her down saying they had the right to limit the prayers to the Judeo-Christian beliefs and religions based on a single God. The ACLU abandoned their usual pro-atheist position and defended her right to practice her religion with the following words.

"Although Establishment Clause jurisprudence may be beset with conflicting tests, uncertain outcomes and ongoing debate, one principle has never been compromised ... that one religious denomination cannot be officially preferred over another,"

In this case the ACLU is correct in general but not specific. Judeo Christian beliefs and other religions based on a single God are not one religious denomination and should not be considered such. This has a weak link at best with the non establishment clause of the Constitution as the Chesterfield Board is not evangelizing for any particular denomination but are instead limiting free expression thereof in a forum they have allowed. The ACLU is pressing their own agenda and attempting to get the court to except their legal view which will lead to all theist religions being banned. This is because the Supreme Court has already decided that the practice of all religions, which the ACLU is advocating, violates the non- establishment clause of the Constitution. I am assuming the ACLU knows case law. Below is an excerpt from the 1786 Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom that backs up what I say about the non-establishment clause of the First Amendment.

Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly, That no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burdened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in nowise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.

Chesterfield County, VA is a rich influential county with almost double the average wages as Great Falls, SC. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided wrongly because the free exercise clause was developed by sincere Christians who know it is not God’s Way to force religion on others and to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Therefore Christians and others in the United States who want to show their faith publicly pray and as they obey God must show the same consideration to other people that worship in other ways even to tolerating their free expression of those religions. Section 15 and16 of the 1776 Virginia Bill of Rights backs up what I just stated as you can see below.

15. That no free government, or the blessing of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue, and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles.

16. That religion, or the duty which we owe to our CREATOR, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity, towards each other.

A second case is when the shoe is on the other foot and a Wicca oppresses the free exercise of religion of Christians to the harm of both theist groups and the benefit of the atheistic establishment. In Great Falls, South Carolina Darla Kaye Wynne a Wicca won a federal court case against this small and poor town. Her lawsuit demanded that they remove the name of Jesus Christ from their prayers. I read her complaint which seems to be totally unrelated to the lawsuit so I am wondering if the ACLU steered her lawsuit to achieve their own atheistic establishment agenda and left her still being persecuted for her beliefs.

Now the federal judges found in her favor and ordered Jesus Christ removed from the town prayer. The judges obviously did not care what the Constitution states since it refers to Jesus as Lord with the phrase “in the year of our Lord”. The ACLU achieved its objective of making this an non-establishment case when it was a free exercise of religion case instead. Praying is not evangelism and therefore is not a violation of the non-establishment clause. Even if the government was forcing others to pray according to a particular formula, as the federal judges are doing. it is still a free exercise of religion issue.

Once again I urge all Americans to let people worship as they will without attempting to force them to worship your way. This is true whether they are of some Christian, Wicca, Atheist, or other denomination. You are free as an individual to evangelize and share your faith as are all Americans no matter their beliefs. On the other hand the government because it is supported by is all is restricted from doing so. We as Christians need to practice our general faith by being tolerant of others faith or the Atheist will win by playing us against one another. If we do not then the Secular Atheist will win as they already have in many European countries and this only because Christianity is just an empty husk.