Religious Freedom: Rights and Liberties Under the Law - Essay Example

The paper "Religious Freedom: Rights and Liberties Under the Law" is an outstanding example of an essay on social science. Religious freedom is not just about mutual respect and understanding that exists among people because they know each other and practice different religions. Religious freedom is a vital component of human dignity. Hence, in my opinion, I would consider religious faith as being free as an essential element of religious freedom. No one should be forced into a certain religious faith. Another essential element is the total protection of religious liberty. Religious liberty hinders one from been forced to act against his or her religious beliefs (Urofsky, 2002).
The separation of the church and the state are necessary. Why? It is necessary because the government is not established on any religion. The Treaty of Tripoli notes that the US government is not founded on Christianity because it has no nature of hostility against Muslim laws or religion. The separation is vital as it depicts the respect for personal religious liberty. Through separation, the government cannot interfere in one’s religious practices, and it enhances religious diversity. Without the separation, the state’s government would force people to follow the religion it is attached to that contravenes an essential element of religious freedom (Urofsky, 2002).
The US constitution equally and effectively protects the rights of all religious believers and non-believers. As the first amendment in the constitution tries to assert, congress cannot make a law that respects the founding of religion or one that hinders the exercise of a certain religion. As shown in the Torcaso v. Watkins case of 1961where the Supreme Court ruled that Maryland had infringed religious freedom by calling for state officers to say their belief in God publicly. In this case, the constitution is shown to hold equality to both believers and non-believers (Urofsky, 2002).