Freedom of religion is a sub-category of free speech that often goes unmentioned. Religion is practiced everywhere, and in many countries around the world, billions of people have been punished for their religious beliefs.
In the bible, there are countless stories about people who were persecuted for their beliefs. It teaches us to be grateful for the protection we are granted with, to practice any religion we choose. In Sunday Schools, at least in my experience as a Baptist, we were taught that we should never deny God or he will deny us entrance into Heaven, even if it meant sacrificing our own self.
After the attack on 9/11, countless Muslims faced hate crimes in the months after. Islam wasn’t respected in America any more. Although they technically still had the freedom of speech (and religion), they had to live in fear. Religion is a hard thing to protect, because of the many ways people practice it. The first amendment that grants freedom of speech and religion states that no one will be punished by law/officials, but unfortunately didn’t protect these Muslims that faced attacks because of their association to their religion.
The protection the U.S. has given us with the first amendment allows for its citizens to feel safe, when they are expressing their beliefs. We are allowed to pray and worship, without fearing that the government will punish us. Hopefully, one day we will reach a time where no one has to fear to practice their religion, because we will have eliminated hate in our country.
