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Kayla Briceno
Ms. Gardner
29 November 2016
People are currently dying as I write this. People are currently dying as you read this.
People are dying day to day because of their religion. As a follower of a religion myself, I speak
to you, my President- elect, in hopes to diminish the discrimination of religions throughout our
country and this world. All people deserve the right to believe, express, and practice the religion
of their choice without being judged, ridiculed, or harmed by the people practicing religions
different from their beliefs. Although people may not necessarily agree with all religions, they
should respect others decisions to follow that religion. While there is already an International
Religious Freedom Act, it is up to you to rule out and liberate our global promotion of a freedom
of religion.
discrimination occurs in our country, the so called land of the free. The First Amendment of
the United States Constitution enables the right for all individuals to have a freedom of religion,
yet this remains an issue to this day throughout the country. One major example would be how
American citizens are forced to swear under oath when in court by placing a hand on a bible and
stating "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.
How can the US promise their citizens a freedom of religion, when at the same time they force
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them to swear under an oath to the law by stating Gods name? The citizens of America deserve
The topic of freedom of religion affects me personally with the Pledge of Allegiance. I
stand to support a nation that I believe thrives under God. I respect that others choose to sit
because of religious factors that they do or do not believe in. However, I do believe the line one
nation under God should remain in the pledge for those who support that to embrace it, while
those who do not can respectfully keep to their own religious beliefs by doing what they choose
The world outside the US borders also deals with religious injustice. According to the
State Departments International Religious Freedom report the Islamic State, known as ISIS, is
among the most egregious abusers of religious freedom in the world. Leaders and followers of
Isis believe that their religion is the only rightful religion, and that it is their duty to convert all
people to that religion, and if they do not convert they should be executed because that is what
their God is demanding them to do. They also threaten rivers of blood to all non-Muslims and all
nonbelievers. According to The Hill, Isis brutal regime of institutionalized rapes, murders and
slavery has targeted anyone not conforming to its narrow and extreme version of Islam. How
can a person obtain a freedom of religion when they are prohibited to following any other
religion but the one a group is forcing all to abide by, and living in fear of death for not
following that particular religion? The citizens of other countries deserve a freedom of religion.
One may argue that the religion in which they believe in is the most prominent, and how
all people should follow that particular religion, and how all other religions teachings are false,
and how only their religion should be practiced. While it is great that they think so highly of their
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religion, all people should be entitled to hold their own religious beliefs. The freedom of religion
is not a bad thing at all, it does not bring harm to anyone, in fact it has occurred where it comes
to benefit the lives of others. An example of this would be when Desmond T. Doss saved 75 men
in the Battle of Okinawa, not only risking his life in doing so but also never once bearing arms
due to his religious beliefs. To some, religion is a very important aspect of their life. To others,
religion does not play a role in their life at all. Whether a person is religious or not, we all
deserve to live in a peaceful world where we accept everyone for who they are and what they
believe in.
All people deserve the right to a freedom of religion and deserve to live in a peaceful
world that accepts all religions. There are people struggling with this issue in the United States.
There are people dying because of this issue throughout the world. This is not only a problem
that needs to be resolved in the US, but it also must be fixed in other countries as well. It is up to
us to light the way for our country and other countries to come to acceptance with all religions.
People must never discriminate against other religions and we must never allow this
discrimination to occur from here on out. The entire population of the world should be allowed a
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