This is the First Amendment to the United States Constitution:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
That means the Constitution guarantees these five freedoms to everyone in America:
- Freedom of Religion
- Freedom of Speech
- Freedom of the Press
- Freedom to Assemble Peaceably
- Freedom to Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances
Notice that Freedom of Religion is listed first. There are two clauses associated with it. They are the Establishment Clause and the Freedom of Exercise Clause.
The Establishment Clause prevents the government from favoring one religion over another. “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion . . . “
The Freedom of Exercise Clause keeps the government from prohibiting us from freely exercising our religion. “. . . or preventing the free exercise thereof; . . . “
