It’s alarming to me how the freedom of religion guaranteed by the First Amendment is being framed these days by government officials. It is being limited to the freedom to believe as you want privately, rather than the ability to practice your faith publicly. Case in point: same-sex marriage. A Christian business owner is free to believe that same-sex marriage is immoral, but they are not free to act on their convictions by denying a request to offer their services in support of a same-sex wedding. They can believe as they want, but they cannot act on those beliefs in a public manner.
This is wrong. The First Amendment guarantees us the right to believe and practice our religion without government interference. The freedom of religion is not limited to the private sphere, but to public expression as well. Indeed, religious freedom that doesn’t allow one to act as if their beliefs are actually true is not religious freedom at all.
If we allow the government to reinterpret the First Amendment as a right to private belief only, we will cease to have true religious freedom in this country. Freedom of religion means that one is free to believe as they want, and to act on those beliefs.
Thinking to Believe 
September 16, 2015 at 10:56 am
To believe and to act are two difference events. One is private and affects the believer only, to act is to put the belief of privacy into the public domain that tries to impose the acts onto other.
The Government of Quebec tried to limit the act of religious freedom by banning people from wearing religious dress and symbols if they were employed and working to serve the general public in government offices thereby forbidding the employees from using their free exercise of beliefs to stop government business of serving all the people. There was a huge outgrowth of protest from every religious group going all wearing their peculiar religious symbols and dress. That government was voted out of office in an election call as a referendum on the government expected ban.
This is akin to the Kim Davis syndrome where someone uses religious belief to discriminate against or failure to fulfill the duties of an employment description against those whose freedom of private lifestyle is contrary to the private religious belief of the person doing public business of the government which is the business serving “We, The People”, regardless of religious beliefs.
Consider the corollary that people have the right of Freedom From Religious beliefs such as overt acts affecting the sensibilities of others, like a foot long crucifix around one’s neck, or a burka. People are allowed to carry blades for religious reasons, Kirpan … Cannabis is a holy herb of Rastafari religious ritual, yet in Britain it is illegal.
Freedom from religion is freedom from the acts of religious belief that transcend the internal freedom of private religion by interfering with general business and government business interests that give license to serve everybody, not just those of a particular religiously skewed view. Muslims may want to practice their prayer rituals and hundreds may prostrate themselves on a busy New York street and stop all traffic but the government would soon step in to thwart the free religious exercise thereof.
The government shall not make a law that prohibits the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; the free exercise of religion but cannot interfere with the freedom of other people. The caveat is similar to the free speech expression with limits, such as shouting “fire” in a movie theater. If the movie theater was empty you can shout ’til you’re blue in the face but if the theater is full of other people that could be negatively impacted by your free speech, you are limited.
Speech that involves incitement, false statements of fact, obscenity, child pornography, threats, and speech owned by others are all completely exempt from First Amendment protections. It should not be difficult for any intelligent person to understand that there are exceptions to the free exercise of religious beliefs as well.
All religions want to control all humanity, but that’s not possible in a secular world with a secular government, I’m afraid. Theocratic governments, without limits, are the war mongers on planet earth..
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