...Running head: THE DIMINUTION OF FREEDOMS 1 The Diminution of Freedoms Through Nescience THE DIMINUTION OF FREEDOMS 2 Abstract THE DIMINUTION OF FREEDOMS 3 The Diminution of Freedoms through Nescience Many of us watch the news and expect not only facts, but the truth. This allows us freedom to form our own bias and opinions. Too few of us will go much further to search out the real facts. Hundreds of reports have been made by the press about America’s rights and freedoms; some can be seen on the “ticker” at the bottom of the screen or printed on a newspaper. As we look to reporters for information and facts we must also look to ourselves to research and have a clear understanding. Amendments in the “Bill of Rights is under attack, war crimes have been committed, human rights violated, and Al Qaeda is being funded all by our elected President. The First Amendment talks about the freedom of religion (and how congress can not interfere), freedom of speech, press, peaceful assembly, and to petition the Government. In Obama’s statement “Today I have signed into law H.R. 4310, the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013."”, also known as the NDAA, he stated “Section 533 is an unnecessary and ill-advised provision, as the military already appropriately protects the freedom of conscience of chaplains…” but in the 589 page report 112-479 NDAA 2013 Section 533 is about “Independent Review and Assessment of Uniform Code of Military...
Words: 684 - Pages: 3
...Liberty University The Chaplain in Today’s Military A paper submitted to Dr. Charlie Davidson In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the course CHPL 600 Liberty Theological seminary By Jonathan Keene Lynchburg, Virginia Friday, October 11, 2013 Table of Contents Introduction 3 Legal Boundaries 3 Theological/Biblical Justification for the Christian Chaplaincy 5 The Chaplain’s Present Ministry 6 The Future of the Christian Military Chaplain 9 Conclusion 12 Bibliography 13 Introduction The chaplaincy in the American Military is as old as the United States of America. Chaplains fought alongside General George Washington in the revolutionary war and served as officiators over many ceremonial precedings in the early days of United States history. Today’s military chaplain still fights alongside military men and women in austere environments around the globe. He is responsible for providing meaningful worship materials and services for the variety of faiths that are represented by individuals in the United States Military. It is through the policy of pluralism in an attitude of tolerance and compassion that the military chaplain is able to minister to service men and women of various faiths. Recent policy decisions by the United States Pentagon, the last few presidential administrations, and the leaders of the armed forces have created an increasingly difficult environment for devout Christians to...
Words: 3500 - Pages: 14
...The First Amendment I believe that the First Amendment was written as a means of protecting the church from the state. The First Amendment is considered the most important amendment in the United States Constitution. It protects the rights to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of press from government interference. [1] According to J. Hutson in his book the “Church and State in America”, he states the amendment “prevented the federal government from establishing a national religion and allowed people to freely exercise their religious beliefs and practices.”[2] Basically, the First Amendment gives the people the ability to live their lives the way that they want to, the lifestyle that they choose. This amendment was passed 1789. James Madison, known as the “Father of the Constitution” for his contribution to the Constitution, and proposed twelve amendments, which ended up becoming the first ten amendments of the Constitution. These first ten amendments make up what became known as the Bill of Rights. [3] The purpose of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, written mostly by James Madison, with the assistance of Thomas Jefferson, was to address three fundamental freedoms all citizens have: religion, speech and peaceful assembly. According to the Buchanan (2010), when the U.S. Constitution was signed, it did not contain the essential freedoms now outlined in the Bill of Rights, because many of the Framers...
Words: 687 - Pages: 3
...typically on amendments one and ten, that the founders believed in the sanctity importance of the individual liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. One issue that was a violation of rights on the citizens was the Kim Davis situation. Davis was an elected county clerk in Kentucky where after the legalization of gay marriage, she refused to sign and give marriage certificates to the gay couples because it went against her religious beliefs. She was arrested for violating the freedom that every individual had for choosing to marry whoever they want after gay marriage become legalized. The government violated her rights to practice her own religion by arresting...
Words: 641 - Pages: 3
...liberties and goes against the First Amendment. Even though many of our articles we were required to read this week say that religion is necessary for morality I respectfully disagree, you do not need to believe in a god to have morals you just need to be virtuous. The Founding Fathers wanted to have a nation that was run on a religious base but they did not want to limit that religion to any one kind allowing everyone to have their own beliefs. The Founders wanted to have religion as an integral part of the political system and as Michael Novak quotes George Washington in Faith and American Founding, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports” (Signature Series Reader, p 304, 2008.) Washington believed that we could not thrive as a country, as a united front, without having the common belief in religion and morality. Matthew Spalding in The Meaning of Religious Liberty, speaks of how the “American Founders advanced religious liberty in a way that would uphold religion and morality as indispensable supports of good habits, the firmest props of the duties of citizens, and the great pillars of human happiness” (p 312, 2008.) Today the separation of church and state has become a two way “wall” when it was only supposed to be a one way “wall.” Judd W. Patton speaks of this in The “Wall of Separation” Between Church and State, “The purpose of the First Amendment was not to protect Americans, its institution...
Words: 1250 - Pages: 5
...1865 February 10, 2014 A Tireless Road2 It was long and tiring for African Americans on the road to freedom. Slavery was abolished in 1865 but not as they had hoped. It took many decades for it to come full circle and be properly finished. There were so many people and events that finally led to the complete freedom and equality for African Americans. I believe that the most significant events that led to a final resolution were the Amendments and Civil Rights Acts passed and signed by our government. Although, it was hard for proper implementation of the laws at first, I believe that they were all extremely important building blocks for the movement to finally get to where it is today. The first event that started the Civil Rights Movement was the abolishment of slavery. Ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th Amendment did just this, it restricted state power federally and outlawed involuntary servitude. What this meant is that nationwide, it was illegal to claim ownership over another person. “Although its full effect was not achieved for nearly a century, it began the process of dismantling involuntary servitude as a widespread form of labor relations” (Rutherglen, 2012). With that being said, this was the first real law of its kind, so its implementation was crudely regulated. Yes, slaves were free to now go about and live as they see fit, however, even with freedom they could not regulate their own lives, there were still no laws stating that they had to be treated...
Words: 2250 - Pages: 9
...Liberty University The Contribution of Baptists in the Struggle for Religious Freedom A Research Paper Submitted to Dr. Jason J. Graffagnino in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Course CHHI 665 Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary by Brian M. Hyde Lynchburg, Virginia Saturday, December 6, 2014 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 IN THE BEGINNING 2 THE STRUGGLE IN ENGLAND 4 THE STRUGGLE MOVES TO THE NEW WORLD 7 CONCLUSION 11 WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY 14 INTRODUCTION In this nation, and in much of the Western world, the right of each individual to worship as his or her own conscience dictates, or not to worship at all, is one that is all too often taken for granted. Few consider the tremendous lengths gone to and the enormous price paid by so many to obtain and preserve this right. In the United States when one does reflect on this matter his or her thoughts rightfully focus on the many men and women of the armed forces who fought to gain and keep the freedoms the citizens of this nation enjoy. What is often overlooked is the contributions of Baptists in the centuries long struggle to obtain religious freedom. Their struggle began not in the American colonies but rather in England a century earlier. “The freedom of religious belief and behavior which modern Baptists and others take for granted was forged in the crucible of persecution in seventeenth-century England” McBeth adds that, “No group can claim more credit for the Act of Toleration, passed by Parliament...
Words: 3493 - Pages: 14
...– preferably the laws should reflect the moral vision of the people who we choose to represent us. However, due to the complex nature of morality the value system of the people tends to be varied. Thus, the law does not please everybody and as a result the rights of some individuals are hindered due to the contrasting moral vision of others. The purpose of this essay is to explore the way in which abortion as an issue is one which has been greatly affected by adverse moral visions. As a result, the rights of individuals in Ireland who may disagree with that vision have been affected. The Enactment of the 8th Amendment. The lawfulness of abortion under the constitution of Ireland can be considered as a topic which has sparked much debate between dissimilar views on abortion and bodily autonomy in Ireland. Kingston wrote that before the insertion of the eight amendment into the Irish constitution in 1983, the constitution didn’t contain any specific provision on the topic of abortion. Article 40.3 affirmed that the state guarantees to respect its citizens, and to ultimately “protect as best it may from unjust attack”. Pre 1983, it was unclear to many people as to what exactly defined the word “citizen”. The question on whether an unborn foetus was deemed as a citizen...
Words: 2050 - Pages: 9
...Two Constitutional Amendments The first amendment that I researched was the first one. The First Amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. This amendment was adopted on December 15, 1791. This amendment is one of ten that are in the bill of rights. The First Amendment’s five fundamental freedoms religion, speech, press, assembly and petition are hotly debated. Over the years this amendment has been challenged to the fullest. How free is speech anymore? The words do not change, but how we interpret them does. Some people feel that there is a freedom of speech but there’s a lot of things that you can’t say. Like did you know you can’t say bomb on a plane? If freedom of speech was so free why would I be restricted to say certain things? I should be able to say what I feel if I wanted to. Despite the protections found in the First Amendment, the freedoms described are under constant assault, from school officials refusing to let students express their faith and local governments and police forbidding citizens from expressing unpopular views in public to members of the press being threatened with jail time for reporting on important government programs. The First Amendment also includes the right to express...
Words: 953 - Pages: 4
...First Amendment Paper Denard Benton HIS/301 Dick Ecott Sep 23, 2011 In this paper I will be discussing three court cases cases concerning the first amendment of the Constitution of the United States. For each of these cases, I will answer three questions about why they were important and how they are relevant to today’s society. The first question I will get into is to what extent the Constitution protects the right to privacy. Why did each case need to be heard and interpreted by the Supreme Court? And how does the Supreme Court’s decision in each case continue to affect the rights of American citizens today? The first topic I will get into is concerning the burning of the United States Flag. In 1990, the case involving the United States v. Eichman, when a man burned a United States flag in political protest. The individual who burned the flag knew he would seriously offend onlookers by doing so. In 1989, congress passed the Flag Protection act. This act criminalizes the conduct of anyone who “knowingly mutilates, defaces, physically defiles, burns, maintains on the floor or ground, or tramples upon” a United States flag, except conduct related to the disposal of a worn or soiled flag. Appelees were prosecuted in district courts for violating this act. Even after this was passed, protestors of the government knowingly burned flags against policies and other beliefs. Some protestors burned the flag just because the act was passed. During these cases, the appellees moved...
Words: 1403 - Pages: 6
...very controversial widespread issue today is the right to have prayer in public schools. The proposed amendment reads: "To secure the people's right to acknowledge God according to the dictates of conscience. The people's rights to pray and to recognize their belief, heritage or traditions on public property, shall not be infringed. The government shall not require any person to join in the prayer or religious activity, initiate or designate school prayers, discriminate against any religion, or deny equal access to benefit on account of religion. (AVSP)" This would permit but not mandate school prayer. I think that the government should be focused on the school's academics, not what religion they are to study. The proposed amendments would cause nothing but trouble considering that there would be many arguments on what beliefs should be taught. Religion is private and schools are public. Having any prayer in school goes against the basis in which our country was formed upon. America came into being because colonists wanted religious freedom. Our founding fathers carefully wrote the constitution to grant the freedom of separation of church and state. A prayer created and supported by a government violate the very essence of the spirit in which the US was formed. (Haas35) Therefore, having a prayer in school would be unconstitutional. "A radical school prayer amendment would attack the heart and soul of the bill of rights which safeguards the rights of the individual...
Words: 756 - Pages: 4
...What does Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness Mean to You? The Declaration of Independence is the most important piece of all American historical documents. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness might ring a bell, but for others it’s a whole different story. “Freedom is Intended as a Challenge” by Naomi Wolf mentions in her reading about Thomas Jefferson who was one of the writers of “The Declaration of Independence” had two main ideas which were individually and happiness, the pursuit of happiness. As Wolf researches she comes up with the idea that Jefferson had the idea that we would live a life that was guaranteed, Wolf explains “liberation is not about a historical moment that had happened in the past it is more of a destination of the mind” (636). Life is not all about being born in America and being free, people around us must continue their happiness, and find their own meaning of liberty. Wolf is a piece that takes a deeper look into the current perception of how the Declaration of Independence. Wolf believes us present day Americans have a right sense of what really happened in the late 1700’s. Wolf explains how many American’s now just look at the Declaration of Independence as just a piece of paper, and not taken as serious as it should be. The Declaration of Independence is supposed to be looked at on how free America is, as the Declaration of Independence states, “We hold truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed...
Words: 696 - Pages: 3
...Supported by the required readings and presentations of Module/Week 1, post a thread defending 1 of these 2 First Amendment interpretations: 1.The First Amendment was written as a means of protecting the state from the church. 2. The First Amendment was written as a means of protecting the church from the state. The First Amendment was written as a means of protecting the church from the state is the most logical interpretation of the First Amendment to the constitution. Hutson stated in his book “Church and State in America” that the amendment “prevented the federal government from establishing a national religion and allowed people to freely exercise their religious beliefs and practices. The issue in today’s society is not that the people believe that the government should establish a national religion but rather that any reference to any faith (in particular it seems Christian) should be abolished as it “offends” some citizens to see it. In many cases the “offensive” object is not on government property but is rather a private display or decision. If this were ten years ago I might have argued that the issue was keeping the Church out of the State. However, more recently, the focus seems to be the other way around. Now more than ever, it seems that the focus needs to be on keeping the state out of the church setting. Consider these recent cases. In Houston there were five Christian Pastors that were served subpoenas by the city to turn over any sermons that specifically...
Words: 877 - Pages: 4
...Freedom of Assembly Maria R. Quinionez-Sheehan St. Gregory’s University Freedom of Assembly Out of the first ten Amendments, called the Bill of Rights, the one that is considered the most important is the first Amendment. It is considered as such because it protects the rights that we hold dearest, and it is important to a democratic government by stating what it is not allowed to do. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances (The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration , 2014). In 1787, James Madison received a letter from Thomas Jefferson discussing how wrong it was to not include a Bill of Rights in the Constitution, and made the statement "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth" (Exploring Constitutional Conflicts, 2014). One of the important rights guaranteed in the first Amendment, freedom of assembly, it is important to a properly functioning democracy. Political parties rely on this right, ensuring that they are free to interact with others in order to inspire confidence among their constituents and hold political rallies and conventions sponsoring presidential candidates. Society as a whole relies in part on the rights guaranteed by the first amendment, and limitations imposed...
Words: 1881 - Pages: 8
...Georgia | Ireland | Age | 124 years | 29 years | 74 years | Size | 29 (7,600 words) | 89 pg. | 30 pg. (15,000 words) | Form of Government | Democratic Republic | Democratic Republic | Representative Democracy | Siblings | 1 | 9 | 1 | Bill of Rights | Yes | Yes | Yes | Heads | 3 | 3 | 4 | Nobility | N/A | No | No | Abortion | Yes | Yes | No | Religious Freedom | Yes | Yes | Yes | Death Penalty | Yes | Yes | No | USA The Constitution of the United States was adopted on September 17, 1787, and is the supreme law of the United States of America. The Constitution is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States. The Constitution creates the three branches of the national government: a legislature, the bicameral Congress; an executive branch led by the President; and a judicial branch headed by the Supreme Court. It superseded the Articles of Confederation. The US Constitution does not specifically support or oppose titles of nobility, but the 14th Amendment does equate all men. Georgia The State of Georgia may not declare someone to be a noble. The Constitution of the State of Georgia is the governing document of the U.S. state of Georgia. The constitution outlines the three branches of government in Georgia. The legislative branch is embodied in the bicameral General Assembly. The executive branch is headed by the Governor...
Words: 818 - Pages: 4
