Attached.

Running Head: THE RIGHT TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

The right to religious freedom.
Name
Institution

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THE RIGHT TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

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Introduction.
In the United States of America freedom of religion takes two forms. The first form is the
Establishment Clause that limits the Congress the power to make laws that respect the formation
of an establishment of religion. The provision has prohibited the government of the United States
from establishing an official state church similar to the ones that have been established in other
countries such as the Church of England in Britain and Judaism religion in Israel. The Clause has
prohibited the government from basing it policy decisions on religious consideration. The Clause
also prohibits the government from making an endorsement of one religion over the others in
United States. The Establishment Clause was enacted to ensure the government does make
decision based on any religious ground and also with aim of ensuring the government remain
secular.
The other form of religious freedom in the United States has been protected by a clause in
the First Amendment that ensure the congress and the states have no power to prohibit the free
exercise of religion. The rights of freedom in the United States ensure that people free to choose
the religion they want to engage in their own conscience rather than command from the states
and federal government. Freedom of religion has ensured that people act on their own conscience
and believes hence ensuring groups of people like Quakers are exempted from serving in the
military due their believe that all forms of war are wrong.
Philosophical questions have been raised on how to distinguish the commands
established by religious conscience and those that are commended by non-religious personal
morality. This question is raised due the unclear interpretation of the constitution on commands
based on religious conscience and those commanded by non-religious conscience. Religious
believers believe that religious command are authoritative hence it would be wrong to violate

THE RIGHT TO RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

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them. Several questions have been raised on what is exactly covered by the right to freedom of
religion and the right to the freedom of con...