Not2BSubjugated
Callous Individualist
Rather, the First Amendment doesn't give the GOVERNMENT the right to dictate to religious organizations what they MUST do contrary to their beliefs by passing a law doing just that - that "law" that you say the religious organizations want to break. And when their breaking that "law" doesn't affect the inherent rights, guaranteed by the Constitution, of anyone.The First Amendment doesn't give you blank check to violate the law, then use your religion as a fig leaf.
I'm surprised you didn't learn that little detail in 8th grade civics.
Except no one is forcing religions to do anything. To say any organization vaguely associate with a religion deserves First Amendment protection is to effectively nullify federal law. After all, just claim any law you don't like violates your religion.
That's one way to look at it, I suppose. Do note, however, that the 1st Amendment doesn't specify that freedom of religion is something bestowed upon religious sects as a whole. It's an individual right, not a collective one. Each person is free to practice their religion as they see fit (so long as they aren't breaking the law, of course), and it's always been generally understood that the whole idea was that the government couldn't force people of ANY faith (in any number) to compromise that faith unduly. Otherwise you could force Jehovas Witnesses in elementary schools to participate in holiday celebrations, since you're not forcing "the religion itself" to do anything, only a few members who had the nerve to try and say that the 1st Amendment protects them in particular, and not just their religion as an organization.
The crux of the issue is what you feel is undue, not what you feel qualifies as a valid religious tenet or who you feel qualifies as a valid religious person/organization. If it were subject to those opinions, it wouldn't really protect -anything-, now would it? At any point popular opinion could decide that certain religions aren't covered. If that's how it's supposed to work, why specify that freedom at all? Just get it over with and choose a state religion.
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