Most of us remember times in our lives when we thought we were completely right when we were wrong. We were on our way somewhere, thinking we were following the directions, thinking we knew where we were going, and wound up someplace completely wrong.
I believe America is in one of those phases right now in regards to religious liberty.
We all know the rhetoric surrounding the "establishment clause" where public officials, schools, and government organizations are not allowed to pray, read the Bible, or otherwise encourage religious activity (which only boils down to CHRISTIAN religious activity, mind you) because of a constitutional separation of church and state, right?
Wrong.
Atheists and militant secularists will always cite the First Amendment, using it to justify shutting down school prayers, prayers before football games, filling shoe boxes for underprivileged kids, etc. However, the First Amendment says this: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Who? Congress. Congress can't pass a law. I guess that means that state legislatures can, school boards can, local councils can, depending on the will of the local people. However, that's small potatoes compared to the second part of the First Amendment:
"Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."
What?
I'll say it again: "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."
There you have it. Government cannot stop someone from exercising freely the actions and commands of faith. In other words, government cannot stop someone from praying before a football game, no matter who it is. ""Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof." Government cannot stop a school from packing shoe boxes for underprivileged kids for Samaritan's Purse. "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof." Government cannot stop teachers from praying in schools- "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."
Why have we forgotten the second half?
Because we are ignorant.
How many of us truly know our rights? How many of us truly know the law? How many of us have simply allowed the atheists and secular forces, determined to remove God at all costs from every aspect of public life, to tell us what to do?
"Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."
I would like for Christians to get ahold of what the Constitution really says. There are no limits, no governmental limits, on what can be religiously be practiced. We've been traveling down the wrong road, thinking we were right all these years. Court cases have interpreted the amendment, liberal courts, mind you, to say that all religious expression should be banned from schools, public areas, public extracurricular activities, and just about anything else. And we've taken it.
I say that Christians take back the Constitution and begin challenging the secularists by saying these five words: "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof." Make these five words your mantra as you move the free exercise of religion into the public sphere. If anyone says anything to you, just calmly say those five words and point them to the First Amendment.
"Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."
For too long, people have looked at the First Amendment through the lens of not establishing a state religion. I don't want that. I don't want to look like Europe with it's church-state marriage. That would be terrible. However, allowing prayer in schools, prayer before football games, Bible reading in classes, and other expressions of faith is not establishing a state religion. It is "not prohibiting the free practice thereof."
I realize this is radical. It goes against what we've been ramrodded for the last sixty years of American history. But stop to think of it. A public high school teacher who is a Christian, by Constitutional Right, can pray in his or her classroom. "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof." A Christian football coach can pray with his players. "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof." Government has no right and no constitutional grounds to deny them that right. They cannot, by the Constitution, pass any law prohibiting the free exercise of religion, and that includes public teachers, public officials, coaches, etc.
Take back your constitutional rights and remember those five words- "Nor prohibiting free exercise thereof."
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