Clause Of Public Life Essay

Public life: There are two main clauses in the First Amendment-the ‘Establishment clause’ according to which no Government employee or organization can discriminate on religious grounds and the ‘Free Exercise clause’ which ensures religious freedom for citizen and religious groups or clubs. In public life, freedom to express religious views extends to traditions such as marriage, baptism, etc, also dress code followed by a particular religion, refusal to take part in military service, to name a few. Sometimes the Government offers support to religious groups but since it is not unconstitutional, it is acceptable. Some examples are financial aid to religiously affiliated schools, colleges, hospital, charitable organizations, etc; employment

The Government is not supposed to interfere in religious issues. However the state needs to protect the rights of the citizens when there is harassment or discrimination by employers or others on religious ground, when safety is an issue in gatherings of minority communities, when tax is related to religion, etc. Educated individuals are aware of their rights and can take appropriate action or search for help in case they feel that the separation of the church and state is being violated. In schools, vouchers or scholarships which promote religious indoctrination should be avoided. The constitution is sometimes misunderstood or misinterpreted. Some people believe that since the constitution is based on tenets of Christianity, state and the church should not be separate. Others feel that it is too secular and does not give importance to Christianity. In reality, considering the time period when the constitution was made, it is secular. Many states had their own churches as it was felt that the ‘First Amendment’ was meant for the Federal Government. However, the 14th Amendment explicitly includes all level of Government so that there are no grounds for confusion or