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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is First Freedom First?
First Freedom First is a joint project of The Interfaith Alliance Foundation and Americans United for Separation of Church and State to raise public awareness and promote education about religious liberty and the separation of church and state. The project’s centerpiece is a petition that gathers national support for our constitutional right to make personal choices about what we believe. We focus on eight major issues where our freedoms are threatened. With your support, Americans can strengthen our democratic values and renew our commitment to safeguarding the separation of church and state and protecting religious liberty. SIGN THE PETITION NOW.
Q: Why should the separation of church and state be safeguarded and religious liberty protected?
By safeguarding separation of church and state and protecting religious liberty, we ensure that all individuals get to choose for themselves whether or not to practice religion and in which faith to believe. We must protect our individual right to make personal, private decisions based on our deeply held beliefs. No American should ever be coerced or made to feel like a second-class citizen because of his or her decisions about faith.
First Freedom First focuses on eight issues -- No Religious Discrimination, End of Life Care, Reproductive Health, Democracy NOT Theocracy, Academic Integrity, Sound Science, Respect For All Families and Worship…or Not. If we allow one religious perspective to dominate our national policies towards these issues, our constitutional rights will be lost.
Q: Once I have signed the First Freedom First petition, how will the signatures be used?
In late 2007, First Freedom First and its sponsoring organizations, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation, will hold an event announcing the number of signatures gathered to demonstrate broad national support for church-state separation and religious liberty.
The petitions will be used to demonstrate to elected and appointed officials in Washington, DC and around the nation, that hundreds of thousands of their constituents care about America's first freedom and want separation of church and state and religious liberty issues to continue to be a significant part of the public debate.
Q: How am I helping by providing my email and postal address in addition to my signature to the petition?
First Freedom First will, from time to time, communicate with the individuals who have signed our petition, to update you on our progress and how your participation is helping. Everyone who signs the petition will be given the option to opt out of receiving future email messages. For more information on how First Freedom First is protecting your privacy, please see our PRIVACY POLICY.
Q: Will you sell or share my information with other groups?
Your email and postal address will not be sold or traded to other organizations. This information will be kept private by the project’s two sponsoring organizations – The Interfaith Alliance Foundation and Americans United for Separation of Church and State. For more information on how First Freedom First is protecting your privacy, please see our PRIVACY POLICY.
Q: How can I help the campaign collect signatures and raise awareness about the importance of church-state separation and protecting religious liberty?
First, tell your friends! Next, make the next gathering that you’re planning a First Freedom First event. Or throw your own First Freedom First house party! We have created house party kits that make it easy for you to host your next social function as an advocate for safeguarding separation of church and state and protecting religious liberty. You can visit the house party section of our website for information and materials that make it fun and easy to throw a great party for your friends. If you would like to be more involved as a volunteer for the project, please contact project managers Eric Shutt and Bethany Moore, at eshutt@interfaithalliance.org or moore@au.org.
Q: Tell me more about how the eight issues relate to church-state separation and religious liberty?
Americans strongly support church-state separation and religious liberty, but it is not always clear how these values impact our daily lives, or how they are under attack. The eight issues that First Freedom First is focusing on are currently being targeted by pressure groups that wish to force us to make personal decisions that fit within their narrow religious framework, even it isn’t in keeping with our deeply held beliefs. Aggressive efforts are now under way to create national policies that are based on narrow theological beliefs with which many religious and non-religious people disagree. These eight issues include today’s most relevant and pressing concerns.
No Religious Discrimination
End of Life Care
Reproductive Health
Democracy NOT Theocracy
Academic Integrity
Sound Science
Respect For All Families
Worship … or not
Q. Can you tell me more about The Interfaith Alliance Foundation and Americans United for Separation of Church and State?
For more information on both of these organizations, please visit their websites at www.interfaithalliancefoundation.org and www.au.org.
Q. How will I know if my signature has helped make a difference?
We will update you on the First Freedom First project as our work progresses. You will be notified of upcoming events, volunteer opportunities and our work around the nation to safeguard separation of church and state and protect religious liberty.
Q. In addition to the petition, what else is First Freedom First doing?
The project is re-introducing America to its "first freedom" through a two-year national campaign. Forums, events, dialogues, information tabling, house parties and celebrations will make sure that we continue to promote and discuss our “first freedom.”
Q: Where is the “separation of church and state” in the Constitution?
The First Amendment states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” These religion clauses protect freedom of religion and forbid all governmental laws or actions that prefer one religion over others or favor religion over non-religion. As James Madison, Father of the Constitution, put it, “The Constitution of the U.S. forbids everything like an establishment of a national religion.” In a Jan. 1, 1802, letter, President Thomas Jefferson wrote, “I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state.”
The First Amendment’s religion clauses set up a clear protective line of demarcation between religion and government in our society. The Supreme Court determines where that line is drawn in specific cases to ensure the liberties of the people in our ever-changing society. Although the words “separation of church and state” do not appear in the First Amendment, the Supreme Court has repeatedly determined that the concept is constitutionally mandated.
Jefferson’s “wall of separation between church and state” was first formally affirmed by the Supreme Court in a unanimous 1878 opinion. The wall’s significance was reaffirmed in the landmark 1947 case Everson v. Board of Education. Justice Hugo Black wrote, “In the words of Jefferson, the clause against establishment of religion by law was intended to erect ‘a wall of separation between church and state.’”
Requiring the government to remain neutral about religion protects each citizen’s right to express his or her personal beliefs.
Q: Is church-state separation anti-religious?
No. In fact, church-state separation is as good for religion as it is good for government. Religion and spirituality are deeply personal decisions. The separation of church and state simply ensures the right of Americans to follow our own beliefs. In other words, each of us is protected against governmental interference in our decisions about faith. First Freedom First supports the right of all individuals to make their own choices about religious belief. We do not take a position on theological questions. First Freedom First is an effort to defend the free exercise of all religions and to oppose any effort to use government power to coerce our support of religion.
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