The Fight Of Human Rights

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The Fight of Human Rights

The fight for human rights has changed over time globally. Everyone has a right to their

opinion. Examples of human rights include freedom of speech and religion. Religion has

changed in the US because of the developments of human rights (Tom 1). In the past,

governments could provide some form of freedom to their citizens, but they decided if they could

award them their rights or not. However, 18

century, political thinkers started to argue that

people had their rights and are essential to promote human freedom as long as they do not

interfere with the well-being of others. In this regard, the essay discusses the religious

developments in the US and Germany.

Religious freedom in the US

In the 16

century, the people who settled in North America included the Dutch, French

and British. Each of the settlers introduced some components of religious freedom. They added

the doctrines of Roman Catholic. However, Protestant Puritanism and Anglicans dominated the

Christian culture (Tom 1). From this point, one can understand that religious freedom in the US

started in the 16

century because the country allowed people to worship based on their different

denomination. Roman Catholic was the dominant denomination among the French and Spanish

who had settled in the US. They shared the same religious beliefs, but they had conflicts

regarding the places of worship.

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In the past, only few churches were controlling the public life especially the religious life.

The development of the freedom led to improved religious freedom in the United States because

people could worship in different denominations. The requirement freed the people from the

entangled government regulations. The law contributed to the elimination of oppression of

women in the society. All people proclaimed the religious freedom even if some of the scholars

and founders of churches disagreed in its meaning (David 3). The conservatives of religious

argue that forced exile of Christian believers from public life is one way of limiting the freedom

of worship. In this regard, religious groups advocated freedom of religion.

Moreover, many believed that religious organisations supported moral behaviours in the

society. The government allowed various religious to establish charitable organisations and

educational institutions. The legal law protected the rights of religious organisations (David 18).

Some Republican representatives felt that it was good to safeguard the freedom and they

considered introducing frameworks in the constitution so that they can maintain a republican

society. The objective was to support the development of charitable organisations and religious

learning.

Furthermore, the traditional religious freedom allowed people to worship gods they

wished to. The people believed in various things including worshipping idols. They thought that

gods and goddesses existed and they could help to solve their problems. Because of their beliefs,

there existed conflicts between devotees of different gods (Steven 18). A debate emerged

regarding the use of the same god so that they can solve the conflicts among the worshippers.

Every individual believed that their god was superior to others leading to religious differences.

They called for religious tolerance and respected one’s freedom of worship. Therefore, it shows

that people in the past had the privilege to worship different gods.

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Current freedom of religion in the US

The religious freedom reached the peak in the 1960s. It is because the Supreme Court in

the US foreshadowed the early decision regarding the practise of worship. The court rejected the

concept of the legal dominance of some Christians. The basis of the court dismissing the idea

was to promote equality in the religion. The court championed denominational equality as well

as the Congress, and this has contributed to the development of the religious freedom in the US

(Conkle 7). Therefore, the court has promoted the development of the religious freed because it

protects their rights and no dominance of some institutions. Traditionally, the court had upheld

the supremacy of some denominations hindering the freedom of worship.

Secondly, the developments of the Civil Rights Acts in the US have contributed to the

development of worship liberty. The government passed the 1964 and 1968. The acts focused on

eliminating religious dissemination at various levels in the society. They helped to ensure equal

treatment of all people in the society regardless of their religious orientation. The different areas

where faith discrimination took place include the public accommodation, housing and the

employment sector (Conkle 8). Because of the oppression of some worshippers, they had to align

their beliefs towards the favoured faith. Therefore, the acts and court ruling has helped to

encourage Christianity. It is illegal to discriminate against people because of their religious creed

and any culprit will face criminal charges. The court has prohibited the government from

favouring some denominations, and this means that there is equal treatment of people in the

society.

In this regard, the religious freedom in the US has developed, and this is because of the

amendment to the constitution. The religious freedom amendment is one contributing factor

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promoting equality in the society and protecting individuals from different denominations from

discrimination. It fosters neutrality and equal treatment when it comes to the provision of

resources. However, the government needs to support religious freedom by developing

regulations and frameworks guiding the activities of denominations (Conkle 22). The objective is

to distinguish churches from cults. In the recent years, the number of cults has increased and they

claim equal rights in the society. In this regard, the government should pass laws to ensure

people do not hide behind the religious freedom to engage in anti-social activities.

History of religious freedom in Germany

The fight for human rights in Germany started way back during the rule of Hitler. Hitler

came into power in 1933. He managed to gain support from contestant churches. They supported

him because of his nationalist and anticommunist rhetoric. Many of the church leaders backed

the policies of Hitler because they believed he would end the religious and civil wars. The

development of the National Socialist Movement gained support from many religious parties

(Mathew 15). The reason why they supported Hitler is because they had encountered brutality

and oppression of religious leaders internationally and they hoped the movement would restore

sanity.

In return, Hitler backed the church including their elections. The old religious

organisations in Germany had the freedom to choose their leaders. It was the right of the

believers to elect the church leaders, and this means that they had the freedom to determine the

future of their churches. However, a group of people doubted that the Hitler leadership would

allow them to be independent and define their regional churches and direction (Mathew 17). The

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expectations the church leaders had on Hitler did not come true because he could dictate what the

church should do affecting their religious freedom.

Hitler interfered with church affairs, and there was the division between the church elites

and those who supported Hitler. Hitler gained support from the German Christians despite the

opposition, and he managed to control three regional churches including Bavaria, Han-over, and

Wurttemberg. He further managed to reorganise the churches into United Reich church (Mathew

18). Also, they wanted to reorganise the protestant churches into single dynamic national church.

During his period, the leaders of the church who were removed their leadership positions termed

Germany controlled churches as destroyed churches.

These Germany churches passed race legislation with the aim of excluding Jewish

descendants, and this was the beginning of the fight for human rights in Germany regarding their

religious beliefs. They considered them as grave danger, and they posed risks to the church and

the people of Germany. In the end, they developed church opposition movement that focused on

fighting for human rights and their religious rights they believed the government was oppressing

(Mathew 22). They focused on preserving the former church where the political class does not

interfere with its leadership. In this regard, the religious freedom in Germany has come a long

way to the current liberty.

Past religious freedom

The religious freedom in the past is characterised by the relationship between the church

and the state. After the Second World War, the law guiding the religious freedom is the basic.

The privilege allows the believers to participate in various developmental activities like the

development of social institutions like schools and hospitals. In this regard, the Germany law

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provides greater freedom of worship as compared to the American one (Edward 6). The free

exercise law is critical in promoting democracy of individuals so that they choose the

denomination that meets their requirements.

On the other hand, the Germany religious history shows that the institutions had the

freedom to offer social services in the society. For instance, the Catholic Church preserved the

learning activities, and it provided skills like reading and wring. However, the church did not

force people to attend the classes, and this means that it promoted freedom in the society

(Edward 4). Most people looked up to the church for support even if they were not under any

obligation to follow the doctrines of the church.

Also, the worship freedom of worship was characterised by the homogeneity of the

believers. Historically, the Germany society has been homogenised, and this means that they

share common ideas and traditions (Edward 15). Roman Catholic was the primary church, and it

had many followers. However, the society has changed, and this is because of globalisation, and

this has led to the development of divergent views regarding religious.

Current religious freedom

Various provisions have supported the religious freedom in Germany. The developments

have occurred because of the political changes and multiple provisions supporting the human

rights. Firstly, the religious freedom has changed because of the clause of the constitution that

protect the rights of people. Human dignity is the most protected rights above all others. People

have the freedom to act and behave according to their beliefs (Gerhard 3). It means that

individuals have equal rights just like institutional bodies. Therefore, the religious freedom has

developed in the country promoting human rights.

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Also, the government and religious organisations have developed constitutions that help

to promote human rights about worship. For example, Lander is the agreement between the

government and some religious communities and this helps to shape the relationship between the

church and the state (Gerhard 5). The agreements contribute to accommodating the rising needs

of the religious communities. For example, when the church feels oppressed, they can use the

agreement to enhance their freedom.

The constitution of Germany sets out guidelines that mandate relevant authorities to limit

the rights of people. For instance, they can limit freedom of association if it poses risks to the

public. However, the limitations do not focus on violating human rights about worship but ensure

orderly and constitutional requirements (Gerhard 6). In this regard, one can identify that

freedom of religious has developed over the years because of the provisions in the constitution

and diversity of the society. Therefore, equal treatment of people in the private and public sectors

helps to understand the development of the religious freedom.

Recommendation

The challenge about religious freedom is lack of integration of the Islamic population.

For instance, approximately 3 million Muslims live in Germany. Most of them come from

Turkey to work in the country (Gerhard 15). In this regard, the government should develop

integration policies to ensure the Muslims, and the Christians share values that promote social

well-being. The law should protect any form of conflict between the two groups.

Conclusion

Religious freedom is the ability to protect the interests and rights of people regarding

worship. The early religions faced many problems including oppression from the government.

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The sources of developments include globalisation and emergence of various religious beliefs as

well as the development of the constitution. The system supports equal treatment of all people

regardless of their religious backgrounds. The religious institutions contribute to the social well-

being of the people hence it is essential to promote freedom of religion, and this helps people to

establish beliefs according to what they belief.

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Works cited

Conkle, Daniel. "The Path of American Religious Liberty: From the Original Theology to

Formal Neutrality and an Uncertain Future," Indiana Law Journal 75. 1 (2000): 1-37.

Print.

Edward, Eberle. Free Exercise of Religion in Germany and the United States. Law Review 78. 4.

4 (2004). 3-68.

David, Sehat. The myth of American religious freedom. London: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Print.

Gerhard, Robbers. Religious freedom in Germany. BYU Law Review 12. 2 (2001). 1-27. Print.

Steven, Smith. The rise and decline of American religious freedom. London: Harvard University

Press, 2014. Print.

Tom, Head. Freedom of religion. New York: Facts On File, Inc, 2005. Print.

Mathew, Hockenos. A church divided: German protestants confront the Nazi past. Bloomington:

Indiana University Press, 2004. Print.

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The fight of human rights

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