The Iron Wall Essay -- Religion Government Church State Essays

The Iron Wall When reading the famous American magazine Time, you see a picture of President Bush with his cabinet praying. This is not a special occasion, but rather a daily prayer that begins his administration workday. It is not uncommon to see religious demonstrations and creeds throughout our society. Our money has â€Å"In God we Trust† and our schools daily pledge states, â€Å"†¦One nation under God†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We take oaths under the Bible and are sworn in with it. It would be foolish to believe that our founding fathers did not have a spiritual side to them. It would be even more naà ¯ve to believe that our sense of being does not come out in our writing; therefore, our nation was delivered on religious foundations and it remains today in all of the different political factions. Although the belief is that our founding fathers when creating the constitution were not trying to create a nation that was completely separate from religious beliefs. They did not want to mix church and state due to fears of a government that would not function as designed. They came from lands in which they were persecuted and religious leaders possessed too much authority in political affairs and they created threats to civil liberties. â€Å"Persecution is not an original feature in any religion, but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law.† (Thomas Paine) It is lucid to see the fears of an established state religion, but does freedom to excercise it and establishing it often mixed today? The First Amendment has always guaranteed our civil liberties, but the judicial branch is believed to have guided their interpretation too narrow and strict in fear of losing their iron wall. Society today, portrayed from the court... ...e free speech rights of students involved in Christian groups. It found that the school had violated those rights when it refused to pay for the printing of the Christian’s group’s newspaper; even though, it paid for the publications of a wide range of other student organizations. The fight for our rights has clearly taken a stronger turn more recently in our country. The obvious errors of government officials are being overturned and our schools are being forced to recognize our inalienable rights of freedom and liberty that comes from the first amendment. The laws of today are meant to protect us and keep control, but even laws can enslave men if not fair. And who decides fair? The same people who tell us how the laws should be enforced, so maybe it’s time to question if we are really free, and not just remain trapped behind an Iron Wall!