by Maureen Cutajar

Created on: December 19, 2009   Last Updated: December 21, 2009

Religious freedom proved to be an inevitable necessity to the Puritan origins of seventeenth-century America in a contemporary situation where approximately three thousand religions are practiced. The multifariousness of contemporary society necessitates the tolerance of religious differences and the respect for all religions and individuals.

The American experiment in religious freedom comprises the principle of the freedom of conscience for individuals of all faiths; religious freedom is considered as a fundamental and a natural or ‘inalienable’ right; and it also asserts the right to practice all religions without any interference from the state. Religious freedom is considered as the ‘first liberty’ in America since religion is deemed as forming a substantial part of an individual’s intrinsic beliefs that conditions his or her worldview.[1] Article VI of the Constitution adopted in 1789 asserts that ‘No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States’. The First Amendment to the Constitution states that ‘Congress shall make no law regarding an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof’.

 America’s conviction on the necessity to advance religious freedom endorses the democratic pluralism that has come to characterise American culture. This pluralism can be witnessed throughout American society. A most obvious example is the several different religions which are found among the students of public schools. Consequently, to adhere to the notion of religious freedom school prayer, bible reading, and religious instruction, to mention a few examples, are deemed unconstitutional in public schools in the pursuit to respect and tolerate all individuals of all faiths and no faiths.

Despite all the problems and controversies that may arise America firmly believes that religious freedom is essential to develop a common vision for the common good. In 1988, the Williamsburg Charter reaffirms the necessity for religious tolerance: ‘We affirm that a right for one is a right for another and a responsibility for all. A right for a Protestant is a right for an Eastern Orthodox is a right for a Catholic is a right for a Jew is a right for a Humanist is a right for a Mormon is a right for a Muslim is a right for a Buddhist – and for the followers of any other faith within the wide bounds of the republic’.[2]

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