Obamacare birth control mandate doesn't violate nuns' rights: US ('Just submit and it will be OK')

AFP ^ | 1/4/2013

[tbpiper]

Either the reporter is not making themselves clear, or the DoJ is really despicable.

I'm voting for #2.

[dontreadthis]

true, but you know that highlighting the order of rights specified in 1A may imply a element of relative importance which does not exist

[Iron Munro]

[xzins]

Actually, the continual inability to get the order right does say something to me.

I believe the Founders made religion the first right mentioned and the first right in the first amendment for a reason. It was the most potentially disruptive and to emphasize that free speech was not more important, it made the case that free religion was the standard and free speech, about religion, was critical.

[dontreadthis]

I am familiar with that line of reasoning, and it makes sense to me. My point being that it is in the same manner in which the Bill of Rights is not to be assumed to be enumerated in order of importance.
IOW, while the rights enumerated in 1A share co-dependencies, there is no implication of relative importance. To use your example, without free speech there can be no free exercise of religion and vice versa.