Most people blithely spout that the bill of rights protects an individual’s freedom of religion.
It is widely held that we can practice any religion we choose.
This is not so. This is a pretty lie.
The right is essentially meaningless as it is interpreted.
The operative word above is “practice.”
Can you engage in polygamy if your religion supports it?
Not if you’re mormon. If you belong to the religion de jure, you can.
And tell me right now what the rationale from prohibiting polygamy and polyandry is right now if marriage isn’t just between a man and a woman? There is none.
Can you sacrifice chickens (let alone humans)? No.
Can you put your kids on a religious diet? Or refuse medical treatment for your children?
Not if family services disagrees with it.
If there is ground that is sacred to your people and the U.S. government wants to build a highway through it, or strip mine it for uranium, or use it for any purpose it sees fit, can the freedom of religion keep them from taking your property?
Not if the government wants it. The indigenous people of North America learned that the hard way.
If your religion promotes using a drug, can you?
Not if the government doesn’t want you to.
If you ever get the chance to read any cases involving the freedom of religion (which is a different issue than the separation of church and state. I am tempted to go on a Jose Farmer tangent about government employees only being atheists in the future, but I shan’t) you are going to find over and over that we do not have the right to practice our religion.
We only have the freedom to think whatever we want about religion, which is a very narrow thing indeed. If the government wants to outlaw the practices of a particular religion, it can.
