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.”
The Next Battle Against Government Funding in Religious Schools?
An explanation on the legal and legislative strategies that might be used to oppose indirect government funding for private religious schools following two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
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The First Amendment, Black Liberation and You
Americans today who cherish and exercise their First Amendment rights without fear of state intrusion owe a debt of gratitude to the 14th Amendment — and by extension to the struggle for Black liberation.
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You Might Have the Right to Gather, But You Can Choose Otherwise
You might have the right to gather in person with your religious community during an uncontrolled pandemic, but you also have the freedom to act in the interest of our country as a whole. Exercise your rights responsibly.
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Conditions of Possibility for Religious Freedom
Americans agree that freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental right, and as Americans, we should urge the government to do everything it can to create the conditions that make it possible for people of all religions and none to exercise that fundamental right.
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Lifting Every Voice in Religious Freedom
It is important to explore religious freedom through the lens of African American perspectives because we must lift every voice that has been impacted by religious discrimination and bigotry.
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Don’t Get Stuck on Prayers in Public Schools
It’s time we stop reducing complex questions of religion and education to political debates about prayer.
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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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