Campaign for Liberty has joined a coalition asking the Department of Homeland Security about replacing "Freedom of Worship" with "Freedom of Religion" as possible answer to the nationalization exam's question "name an example of a right guaranteed to everyone living in the United States."
While this may seem like a matter of semantics, the difference between "Freedom of Worship" and "Freedom of Religion" is quite significant. Freedom of Worship means the government will not stop you from participating in a religious service, while Freedom of Religion means the government will not force you to violate your fundamental religious beliefs by, for example, paying for birth control, or serving in the military.
Text of the letter below:
June 24, 2015
The Honorable Jeh Johnson
Secretary of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528Dear Secretary Johnson:
We the undersigned participants and supporters of the Weyrich Lunch write to you with deep concern about the wording of the answer to question 51 on the study materials for the civics portion of the naturalization exam. The question asks students to provide two rights guaranteed to everyone living in the United States, and listed among the possible correct answers is “Freedom of Worship.” We write to you requesting that this answer be immediately corrected to the constitutionally accurate answer—“Freedom of Religion.”
We believe that the wording change we are requesting represents much more than a “distinction without a difference.” Many totalitarian forms of government have allowed for the Freedom of Worship in their governmental documents but in practice severely restricted individual religious freedoms. The phrase Freedom of Worship, as it has been used throughout history, articulates an intentionally limited freedom that restricts a citizen’s rights to the four walls of a government-sanctioned house of worship and only for specific times and events.
This certainly is not how our Founders envisioned the intrinsic rights of all Americans secured by the Constitution. The use of the phrase Freedom of Religion accurately represents the broad freedom guaranteed to every citizen—religious and non-religious alike—to live life in the public square according to the dictates of conscience or religious sensibility. Freedom of Religion is wholly different from Freedom of Worship, in that the former is broad and robust and the latter is narrow and limited.
As a student of history and law, we expect that you already know of the multitude of quotes by our Founders articulating the important differences between these two ideas, so we do not offer them to you to support our case. However, this important distinction is so thoroughly part of the American identity that we want to share with you the words of our First Lady when she called the attendees of the African Methodist Episcopal Church gathering to greater civic involvement.
“Our faith journey isn’t just about showing up on Sunday for a good sermon and good music and a good meal. It’s about what we do Monday through Saturday as well….Jesus didn't limit his ministry to the four walls of the church, He was out there fighting injustice and speaking truth to power every single day.”
--Address to the African Methodist Episcopal Church, June 28, 2012
We agree with our First Lady and trust that you see the importance of properly articulating this important distinction. We request that the change be made as soon as possible wherever it appears in the naturalization process but especially in the study materials, so that those preparing for and taking the naturalization exam can have an accurate understanding of the foundational freedoms so beautifully expressed in our Constitution.
As Americans, we are thankful that we enjoy Freedom of Religion and not merely Freedom of Worship and wish to secure this idea to all those who join us and to our posterity. Please help restore this idea to its proper place by correcting the naturalization materials.
Sincerely,
Morton Blackwell, Chairman
The Weyrich Lunch
Colin A. Hanna Chairman, Coalitions for America
Co-Chairman, The Weyrich Lunch
Tony Perkins, President Family Research Council
Penny Young Nance, CEO & President Concerned Women for America
Phyllis Schlafly, Founder
Eagle Forum
Richard Viguerie, Chairman
ConservativeHQ.com
Gary Bauer, President
American Values
Hon. J. Kenneth Blackwell, Visiting Professor Liberty University School of Law
Dr Alveda King, Director, African American Outreach
Priests for LifeTom Fitton, President
Judicial Watch
Jim Martin, Founder/Chairman
60 Plus Association
Star Parker, President Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE)
Tim Wildmon, President
American Family Association
Ron Robinson, President
Young America's Foundation
Mathew Staver, Founder & Chairman Liberty Counsel
Galen Carey, Vice President, Government Relations National Association of Evangelicals
Jerry A. Johnson, Ph.D., President National Religious Broadcasters
Dan Schneider, Executive Director American Conservative Union
Rick Scarborough, President Vision America Action
Robert D. Thompson, Administrator The Weyrich Lunch
Mark Tooley, President
The Institute on Religion and Democracy
Faith J. H. McDonnell, Director Religious Liberty Program and Church Alliance for a New Sudan The Institute on Religion and Democracy
Ted Baehr, President MOVIEGUIDE (R) and Member, Broadcast Film Critics Association
Dr. Jim Garlow
Senior Pastor – Skyline Church, La Mesa, CA
Founder – Pastors Rapid Response Team
Janet Porter, President
Faith2Action
Rev Lou Sheldon, Chairman
Traditional Values Coalition (TVC)
Andrea Lafferty, President Traditional Values Coalition (TVC)Susan Carleson, President American Civil Rights Union (ACRU)
Brian S. Brown, President National Organization for Marriage (NOM)
Timothy Head, Executive Director
Faith & Freedom Coalition
P. George Tryfiates, Director of Governmental Affairs Association of Christian Schools International
Dr. Keith Wiebe, President
The American Association of Christian Schools
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director Priests for Life
Janet Morana, Executive Director Priests for Life
Joseph Farah, Editor and Chief Executive Officer WND.com
Kay Daly, President
Coalition for a Fair Judiciary
Henry F. Cooper, Chairman High Frontier
Dan Weber, CEO Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC)
Phillip L. Jauregui, President Judicial Action Group
David Nammo, CEO & Executive Director Christian Legal Society
Bruce Chapman, Founding Fellow
Discovery Institute
William J. Murray, Chairman Religious Freedom Coalition
C. Preston Noell III, President
Tradition, Family, Property, Inc.
George Landrith, President Frontiers of Freedom
Elaine Donnelly, President Center for Military Readiness
Ron Pearson, President Council for America
Larry Cirignano
American Catholic Citizens
Alex St. James, Executive Director
Blacks Economic Security Trust (BEST)
Mal Kline, Executive Director Accuracy in Media
Seton Motley, President Less Government
Kenneth R. Timmerman, President Foundation for Democracy in Iran
CH (COL) Ronald A. Crews, USA Retired, Executive Director Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty
Dr. Carl Herbster
AdvanceUSAShapri D. LoMaglio, J.D., Vice President for Government & External Relations Council for Christian Colleges & Universities
Robert K. Fischer Meeting Coordinator for Conservatives of Faith
Cathie Adams, President Texas Eagle Forum
Christopher R. Long, President Ohio Christian Alliance
John F. Tate, President
Campaign for Liberty
Richard Ford, President Heritage Alliance
Day Gardner, President National Black Pro-Life Union
Demos Chrissos, President
Rapid Response Media
Rabbi Aryeh Spero, President
Caucus for America and Author of Push Back
Douglas E. Lee
Chaplain (Brig Gen) USAR (Ret)
President, CALL
Maurine Jensen Proctor
Meridian MagazineArthur Schulcz, ICECE Counsel
International Conference of Evangelical Chaplain Endorsers (ICECE)
Willes K. Lee, Vice President
National Federation of Republican Assemblies
Peter Weyrich
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PDFTags: Campaign for Liberty, religioud liberty