Inside the First Amendment
Contributor Charles C. Haynes is vice president of the Freedom Forum Institute, founding director of the Religious Freedom Center and a senior scholar at the First Amendment Center. He writes and speaks extensively on religious liberty and religion in American public life. Listed below are his most recent columns with “Inside the First Amendment.”
Baby Jesus Wasn’t a Patriotic American
Religious communities should be concerned when public officials, including those in the White House, use religious holidays like Christmas to stoke nationalist sentiments among their Twitter followers.
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Teacher-led Prayer: Unconstitutional but Appropriate?
Teachers should help students understand why religious freedom protections — like the prohibition against teacher-led prayer — benefit people of all religions and none.
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Protecting Religious Freedom Has a Domino Effect
The recent death of a turbaned Sikh law enforcement officer sparks conversation over the fact that some members of minority religious communities are still forced to decide between serving their country and honoring their religious identities.
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Back to School — And Religion Is on the Syllabus?
It may surprise some, but a significant majority of Americans — including public school teachers — say yes.
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“To bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance”
In a series of letters written in 1790, George Washington reassured Quakers, Catholics, Baptists and Jews that they would be safe under a government committed to religious freedom.
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Newseum Institute Introduces New “Inside the First Amendment” Columnist
Lata Nott, executive director of the First Amendment Center, will replace longtime contributor Charles Haynes.
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“Welcoming the stranger” in the age of Trump
Religious individuals and communities offer sanctuary to undocumented people, defending their actions as acts of religious conscience protected by the First Amendment.
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“A shameful day”
On Jan. 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, President Donald Trump issued an executive order temporarily halting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries, suspending the refugee program and permanently imposing a religious test for refugees going forward.
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To uphold religious freedom in 2017, do small things with great love
Whatever the motives for standing up for others – religious faith, civic virtue or enlightened self interest – religious freedom only works when a right for one is a right for all.
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Standing Rock: Historic win for Native American religious freedom
In the long, ugly history of persecution, exploitation, broken treaties, unkept promises and adverse court decisions, the victory at Standing Rock is a rare win for Native American religious freedom.
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