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Religion and Belief
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ACLU Calls For End To Mandatory Prayer At U.S. Naval Academy
The ACLU is urging the U.S. Naval Academy to stop forcing midshipmen to participate in the Academy's compulsory "noon meal prayers." More
Yearning For Zion Ranch
> Judge Orders Children Returned To Their Families (6/2/2008)
> ACLU Urges Court to Correct Constitutional Errors (5/30/2008)
ACLU PROGRAM ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION AND BELIEF
The American Constitution and Bill of Rights introduced a new relationship between religion and government. Prior to 1789, almost every European country maintained a close relationship between church and state. James Madison, the principal drafter of the First Amendment, proposed that, unlike European states, the government should not tax its citizens to support religious activities, nor should it promote religious beliefs, and that all religious beliefs should be treated equally and fairly. He believed that religion would thrive best when the government did not promote some religious beliefs to the exclusion of others.
Madison's ideals, now embodied in the Constitution, were exactly right. Americans enjoy more religious freedom than do people in any other country in the world.
Unfortunately, some people are now trying to use government power to promote religion in exactly the way the Constitution wisely rejected. The ACLU works to ensure that people remain free to choose which religious beliefs (or none) they wish to express and that governments, school boards, and legislatures do not become involved in deciding which religious beliefs should be promoted or in spending taxpayer dollars to support religious activities and symbols.
FAQs ABOUT THE ACLU AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
> Does the ACLU want to remove crosses from federal cemeteries?
> Does the ACLU object to federal employees bowing their heads? |
City of Portland Upholds Freedom of Religion (8/22/2008)
PORTLAND — After more than five hours of testimony from neighbors, clergy, and supporters of religious liberty, the Portland Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously voted to allow a Portland Rabbi to continue prayer in his home. Rabbi Moshe Wilansky had received a cease-and-desist letter from Portland in May, ordering him to stop using his home as a "place of worship". The Zoning Board of Appeals, however, rejected the city's interpretation of the zoning ordinance, finding instead that the Rabbi was using his home in a perfectly acceptable way.
Vigil planned to support Rabbi in Portland zoning dispute (8/20/2008)
PORTLAND, Maine - People from many religious faiths are expected to rally at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 21, at City Hall Plaza to support a Portland rabbi locked in a zoning dispute with the city. The "Vigil for Religious Liberty" will include leaders from several faith traditions who are deeply opposed to government interference in religion.
ACLU Secures Religious Freedom For American Indians At Wyoming Prison (7/30/2008)
RAWLINS, WY – Corrections officials at the Wyoming State Penitentiary (WSP) have agreed to allow American Indian prisoners access to eagle feathers for use in their traditional Indian religious practices.
Fourth Circuit Upholds Fredericksburg Prayer Policy (7/23/2008)
Richmond, VA -- A three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals today upheld Fredericksburg City Council's policy requiring that formal prayers used to open its meetings be nonsectarian. The opinion was written by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who was a guest-member of the panel when it heard oral arguments in March.
Judge Awards ACLU Fees For Lawsuit Over Jesus Picture In The Courthouse (7/23/2008)
NEW ORLEANS- Yesterday, a federal District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana awarded the American Civil Liberties Union $42,000 in attorneys' fees in a case they brought challenging the legality of a picture of Jesus Christ that was displayed at the Slidell City Courthouse.
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