You know, the provision that protects peaceful Christians, Jews, Muslims, Communists, KKK freaks, Druids, Satan worshipers and generally every single one of us who wishes to be able to practice our religion in peace.. Without worries of it someday falling from favor and being persecuted by the state for our beliefs.
Or, would you rather go for broke and have the Federal Government "assign" the "proper" religion for us all?
You know, the provision that protects peaceful Christians, Jews, Muslims, Communists, KKK freaks, Druids, Satan worshipers and generally every single one of us who wishes to be able to practice our religion in peace.. Without worries of it someday falling from favor and being persecuted by the state for our beliefs.
Or, would you rather go for broke and have the Federal Government "assign" the "proper" religion for us all?
I'm an Aztec. My religion requires that a human sacrifice be carried out each evening to appease the sun god. If sacrifice is not carried out, the sun will not rise and we will all perish.
Is my religion protected by the First Amendment or are only the religions that you approve of protected?
When the Spaniards led by Hernando Cortes first saw the human ritual slaughter that the Aztec priests were carrying out on a daily basis they decided then and there that this will not stand. To stop it, they destroyed the society and converted them all to Christianity. Are the present day descendents of the Aztecs in Mexico City better off as Christians today or would they be better off had the Spaniards felt that the Aztecs should be allowed to "practice their religion in peace"?
We find ourselves in the same position looking at Islam today that the Spaniards found themselves in back in 1521.
Here is an account of the Aztec religious ceremony:
No matter what the size of the sacrifice, it was always performed the same way. The victim was held down by four priests on an altar at the top of a pyramid or raised temple while the officiant made an incision below the rib cage and pulled out the living heart. The heart was then burned and the corpse was pushed down the steep steps; a very brave or noble victim was carried down the steps. The most brutal of human sacrifices were those dedicated to the god Huehueteotl. Sacrificial victims were drugged and then thrown into a fire at the top of the ceremonial platform. Before they were killed by the fire, they were dragged out with hooks and their living hearts were pulled out and thrown back into the fire.
I'll repeat: Is my religion protected by the First Amendment?
You're missing the point. Congress, the entity barred from establishing a specific denomination, = the federal government. At the time of the constitutional convention, 9 of the states had established churches.
For the logic impaired, state <> fed.