In Defense of Organized Religion
Dennis Hoover Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Influenced strongly by Protestantism and Enlightenment liberalism, American culture and law have generally conceived of religious identity and religious freedom in individualistic terms. Above all it is the individual's freedom of conscience that is celebrated in the United States. The First Amendment of the Constitution bars government from prohibiting the "free exercise of religion"; Americans tend to think first of individuals exercising this freedom, and only secondarily of organizations.
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