by EJ Englin

Created on: December 12, 2008

Constitutionally people have the right to assemble no matter what the cause or agenda, but some public places that meet the needs of everyone in a society should be held in reserve. Church groups can meet in parks and in public squares, but not in schools or in official government property like city halls.

Schools are for learning, not proselytizing; city halls are for political meetings not religious discourse. Giving certain church groups the right to hold meetings in a public school, officially excludes other religions, unless school officials are willing to allow every

religion and non-religion to hold a meeting and services. If not, that should not be a boundary we are willing to cross.

The Constitution clearly to states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof". It is not prohibitive to bar religious organizations from holding their meetings on school property, after all we must look to all religions, not just one or two. Barring teacher led prayers, keeping organizations from passing out religious paraphernalia and holy books at public schools, and keeping religious teachings out of science classrooms preserves the freedom of every American, regardless of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. That is the foundation of this great nation.

Religious organizations can meet in churches and in society groups, they can assemble in their own homes, but they should not be allowed to assemble where everyone regardless of religious preference assembles for secular activities. Secular activities by there nature exclude religious opinion, not because it does not matter, but because there is a time and place for everything. Or as the bible says, "there is a season for everything".

We have a secular society, not to exclude religious opinion, but to protect all ideas and give the equal protection under the law. It would not be wise to uphold the Ten Commandments, and exclude the Tao Te Ching. It would not be constitutionally legal to promote the Koran and prohibit the readings of the Vedas. Article 11 in the Treaty of Tripoli (otherwise known as Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli of Barbary) states:

As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen: and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

The Treaty of Tripoli highlights the basic premise of this nation, "Freedom for all". We cannot enjoy freedom if one religious idea is promoted over another, if one way of life is given importance and another relegated to the background.

There are more than just Christians in this country, there are Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Yoruba, Wiccans, Sikhs, Taos, and even people who hold no religious doctrine like Atheists and Humanists, this is a country of many religions. Preventing church groups from access to officially public places upholds the Constitution and demonstrates that this country is not partial to any religion or ideology, but a nation that counts freedom above all else.

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