freedom of religion guarantees that the givernment will never establish s national religion, and that religious minorities will
not be persecuted. Why was the absence of a national religion important to people in the 1700's ? it is important now? does it ever creare a problem in our countey today?
Freedom of worship and the right to believe in any religion was important in the colonies of the 18th century. Let´s remember that many Englishmen who had emigrated to the New World faced religious persecution at home, or they had decided to emigrate because they wanted to live in communities according to their own principles, something that was not possible then in England for political and religious reasons.
Besides, the separation of church and state was an important idea of Enlightenment, an idea dear to the Founding Fathers. Freedom of worship seemed to them as another human freedom to be protected and cared about. And this is as important today as it was 250 years ago; there are large Muslim communitities in the USA today. Isn´t it relevant that they enjoy the right to practice their religion? Of course it is.
