Clarification

Published On: June 9, 2015|Categories: MRFF's Inbox|1 Comment|

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Hello,

I was looking at your website, and had a few questions about your organization. In the “about MRFF” section, you mention that the Constitution guarantees both freedom of religion and freedom from religion. I can see how the Establishment Clause mentions that there is no prohibition from freely exercising one’s religion, but I’m having trouble understanding how it guarantees freedom from religion. Can you help to clarify this for me?

 

Thank you,

(name withheld)


 

Hi (name withheld),

Mr. Weinstein has asked me to respond to your question as he’s very busy protecting the religious freedom of the women and men in our military.

I guess I’m not clear on what it is you don’t understand about the freedom of religion, but let me try to clarify it as best I can.

The Founders, as those who established this nation are thought of, were men of differing spiritual viewpoints who had personal knowledge of some of the constraints
imposed by religious authorities in the countries from which they or their forebears came. For that reason they wanted to be clear that the country they established
was to be free. Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press were considered to be so important that they spelled them
out in what is called the Bill of Rights.
But freedom means freedom. Liberty, autonomy, self-determination, independence, sovereignty are a few synonyms. The dictionary defines freedom as “the state of
being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical constraint.” Another definition is “Exemption from external control, interference or regulation.”
Yet another is “The power to determine action without restraint.” And there are many other examples.
In other words, freedom imposes nothing; it frees us from imposition. The freedom of assembly doesn’t mean you must assemble, it means you may do so if
you choose. And, importantly, you are free to not join an assembly.The same is true with religion. Freedom of religion does not mean that people are free to choose from a prescribed list of religions. They are free to believe as they choose.
And if their choice is to not believe a in particular religion or to not believe in heaven or hell or God that is their choice and it is to be honored just as is another person’s

choice of a particular faith.
So, freedom of religion includes, by definition, the right to choose to have no religion.
I hope that helps. If not, please feel free to contact me again.
Best,
Mike Farrell
(MRFF Board of Advisors)

Hi (name withheld) –
Thanks for writing to the MRFF with your question.  Mikey Weinstein has read your email and asked me to proffer a reply.  I’m a bit behind in my correspondence so my apologies for not replying days ago.  I’m a volunteer supporter of the MRFF, and this is one of the ways in which I contribute to the organization’s effort.  I’m also a lifelong, committed, and active Christian… a USAF veteran and USAF Academy graduate ((’85)… and today a senior executive with a global logistics company.
You ask a great question; one which I think can create some confusion with many people.  In fact, when I first approached the MRFF a few years ago with my own questions, I was coming from the perspective of a potential critic.  After all, I’ve been a Christian my whole life and I was admittedly comfortable with the notion that Christian beliefs tend to dominate American society.  It was not until I started digging into the issues myself that I came to recognize my myopia in this area. Today, I am no less protective of my own religious rights, but I also see clearly that if my own rights are to be fully protected, I must be willing to defend the rights of everyone else with equal fervor… including those who do not believe in God at all.
I propose that it is the word “religion” that trips up some people.  Here is how I would suggest you consider the issue (this is how I straightened it out in my own mind)…. rather than use the word “religion”, substitute the word “beliefs”.  When you do, the key points become something like this —
Every American has a right TO his/her own beliefs.
Every American has a right be free FROM any expectation to conform to someone else’s beliefs.
The key issue is not about the influence or interaction between various religious factions… it’s about the right of every American to hold any belief, including no religious belief at all, and to do so without being subjected to the beliefs (including non-belief) of others.
In the military especially, the culture is incredibly hierarchical and rigid.  Leaders hold incredible power and authority over their subordinates — literally, the power of life and death in that they can order subordinates to do things that put their lives at great risk.  So in that environment, if a leader wishes to “share” his religious beliefs with his subordinates, that “sharing” does not have a benign, voluntary scent to it.  Simply put, subordinates are expected to listen to what their leaders say, and to do what their leaders tell them to do.  If a leader injects his personal religious beliefs into that relationship, it is inappropriate because the relationship is not on equal footing.
So within a military setting, the key points become something like this —
Every US military member has a right TO his/her own personal beliefs.
Every US military member has a right to be free FROM any pressure, promotion, or influence of the personal beliefs of his/her leaders.
To me, it’s really simple.  We all have freedom to believe, or not to believe, whatever we wish… because if we don’t, then the freedom of every one of us is in peril.  Hope this helps.  Thanks again for writing.
Peace,
Mike Challman
Christian, USAF veteran, MRFF supporter

 

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One Comment

  1. Connie June 10, 2015 at 7:07 am

    From Mike Farrell:
    Freedom of religion does not mean that people are free to choose from a prescribed list of religions. They are free to believe as they choose. And if their choice is to not believe a in particular religion or to not believe in heaven or hell or God that is their choice and it is to be honored just as is another person’s choice of a particular faith.

    Mike, thank you for putting words to the thoughts in my mind. I’ve struggled to put form to the chaos but all that comes out are pages and pages of sermonizing. Your one paragraph is elegant. You have my gratitude.

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