The 1st Amendment in America and its consequences

        Religion has always had an important place and influence on the US society, as the country has been built by religious people : the Pilgrim Fathers. So important that the First Amendment is about freedom of religion, which stipulates that the government cannot establish a State Religion or prevent the exercise therof. The dossier is composed of document A which is an extract from an article published on May 23, 2019 by Tom Gjelten. It tackles the issue of double standards concerning religious freedom. The second document is also an excerpt from an online article entitled “Religious freedom : what's at stake if we lose it”, written in 2019. It deals with the different rights the First Amendment gives you. The third document is a canvas called “Golden Rule” painted by Norman Rockwell in 1961. These three documents describe how religion unites people but can also be divisive. To go into further details, we will wonder how religious freedom can be a positive thing that also has limits. We will first talk about how religious freedom is uniting and then its limits.

        To begin with, religious freedom and religion itself are seen as uniting by a majority of Americans. It gives them a sense of community, as seen in the document C, where every single faith or ethnicities are represented. That way, no religion feels left out and all are able to worship in peace. Of course, everyone is free to believe (or not) in a God, which is why religious freedom is so important for americans. But the First Amendment not only protects religion, it also prevents the government from establishing a state religion or prohibiting one. This is important for America, as it was founded by Pilgrims fleeing their country for religious freedom. Moreover, it is there to protect the free exercise of religion. As seen in the document. A, a woman was fired “for refusing to work on Saturdays” and “denied unemployment benefits. The Supreme Court then ruled that her free exercise right had been violated. Finally, religious groups help over 70 million of Americans per year (document B), which demonstrates that everyone can benefit from religious freedom, atheists and believers alike.

        Hovewer, religious freedom also has its limits and flaws. First and foremost, not everyone believes in God or the same one. This can lead to various discriminations, as we can see in the document A, with the case of a native American man who was “dismissed from work” after ingesting a peyote “for a religious ritual”. Furthermore, there are so many religions, with so many beliefs and worldviews that it can be hard to cohabit in the same country, which can create a lot of conflicts and divise the population. Also, atheists can feel left out. For example, the document C comes with a quote “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, which is a “golden rule” in every major religion. This seems to imply that they do not deserve to be treated equally as they do not believe in God, which can make them feel left out of the society. Moreover, religion can be a problem with scientific progress or fundamental rights like abortion or LGBT rights, because it does not follow religious beliefs, like in document B with the example of florists and same-sex marriages (l.33-44)

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