Freedom of Religion in the U.S

Freedom of Religion in the U.S Introduction Religious disagreements have often been the cause of discord, violence, and hatred in many parts of the world. In the U.S. during the colonial times, religious differences were the cause of religious conflicts and persecutions before the founders of the US undertook to work together to protect religious freedom and end persecutions and religious intolerance (Gunn 189).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Freedom of Religion in the U.S specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The new religious pluralism, in the American context, guarantees religious tolerance and religious freedom, which has transformed the religious landscape to allow the coexistence of many religious standpoints. Unlike in the past, the religious pluralism allows the interaction of multiple religious traditions within the state and the civil society. However, despite this remarkable success, currently, religious confrontations often arise over many issues of religious faith. In particular, issues of creationism and evolution raise religious disputes, which are increasingly growing more intense. At the same time, the U.S. promotes religious liberty and pluralism as one of the cornerstones of democracy in the rest of the world. However, in the US, politics, law, and religion often generate disagreements and divergent religious views whereby, divisive politics on a number of religious issues threatens the commitment to religious freedom. Religious Freedom in America Despite some episodes of religious intolerance in the past, the US has made considerable progress in promoting religious freedom. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights purposely aimed at protecting individual right of worship and religious freedom. In particular, the framers of the constitution included three distinct commitments to religious liberty viz. the religious oaths to public office, prohibitions to freedom of worship, and legislations against the establis hment of religious facilities were declared against the constitution (Gunn 197). From the colonial era dominated by Protestant pluralism, the US presently allows the expression of almost all world religious faiths. This step presents a significant stride in promoting religious pluralism and encouraging religious tolerance.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the US, many people do not profess any religious faith and they include the secularists, humanists, and atheists. Since the constitution offers no religious preference or any state religion, in the American context, religious freedom implies the religious liberty for all citizens including the non-believers. Religious liberty encompasses three principles: firstly, religious liberty is an individual right that transcends the state power (Gunn 201). Secondly, religious liberty, according to the constitution, confer s freedom of conscience to people of all faiths. Lastly, religious liberty means the right to practice a given religious faith or no religion at all without government interference. Thus, in the US, religious freedom allows all individuals to profess any religious beliefs or no religion without any state control. The Religious Landscape in America The freedom of religion as embedded in the constitution did not aim at preventing religious beliefs or institutions from participating in public life. In effect, the disestablishment resulted to less or no state interference in religion. Additionally, the freedom of religion provisions in the constitution barred any religion from becoming a state religion. As a result, many religious faiths play a vital role in shaping public policy and public life. The need to separate religion from the state was meant to prevent the government from being biased in the denominational competitions. Additionally, the religious freedom has significantly shap ed the religious landscape in the US. Religious tolerance among the Catholic, Jewish, the dominant Protestant, and other religions coupled with low cases of religious violence or turmoil are the results of the freedom of religion. In recent times, the denominational rivalries have declined giving rise to religious interest groups that go beyond religious boundaries. Religious views tend to reflect perspectives within and across denominations (Castelli 324). Commonly, religious opinions to controversial issues involve the religious versus the secular, or the conservative versus the liberal, which reflects a considerable change in religious boundaries and alliances (Castelli 327). Currently, unlike in the past, most disputes in the US involve competition amongst various religious interest groups but not conflicts. Threats to Freedom of Religion Considerable progress has been made in many religious settings following the articulation of the freedom of religion in the constitution. Amer icans are more tolerant to religious views and appear to transcend religious prejudices.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Freedom of Religion in the U.S specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, angry confrontations over issues touching on religious faiths threaten the religious liberty that is so celebrated in the US. In particular, issues about public financing of religious projects such as schools, the Ten Commandment monuments, taxation as well as the use of the name of God when swearing allegiance to public office threaten this religious freedom (Sullivan 80). Religious disputes are also apparent in the public education system over teaching of controversial topics such as evolution and creationism. Religious divisions on other controversial issues including euthanasia, gay rights, abortion, and stem-cell research are apparent in the US. At the same time, the U.S. promotes religious freedom as a â€Å"universal human right† internationally. Through the International Religious Freedom Act (IRF) of 1998, the U.S. offers multilateral assistance to countries to promote religious freedom as one of the cornerstones of democratic development (Sullivan 81). It also sets out various initiatives to prevent violations of religious freedom by countries and promote religious tolerance. Conclusion Religious freedom is a right conferred upon Americans by the constitution and the Bill of Rights. Though much success has been achieved including religious tolerance and coexistence, religious disagreements often arise on a number of controversial issues. Internationally, the U.S, through the IRF Act, promotes religious freedom as a way of enhancing democracy. However, locally, the interaction between politics and the state as well as religious disagreements on many issues threaten the religious freedom. Castelli, Allen. Praying for the Persecuted Church: US Christian Activism in the Global Arena. Journ al of Human Rights 4.3 (2005): 321-331. Gunn, Jeremy. The Complexity of Religion and the Definition of ―Religion in International Law. Harvard Human Rights Journal 16.4 (2003): 189-205. Sullivan, Winifred. The Impossibility of Religious Freedom. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2005.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More

How to Get Your PSAT Score Report

How to Get Your PSAT Score Report SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips How do you get your PSAT score report? Can you view it online? The PSAT score report works a bit differently than your typical SAT or ACT report. We will walk through how to get your report and what to do once you have it. When Do PSAT Scores Come Out? How Will I Get My Report? PSAT results from 2018 will be available online in December of 2019. You'll be able to see your scores online through your College Board account. (If you haven't made one already, you can register for a College Board account here. You'll use this account to sign up for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests, and you'll receive your AP Scores here too.) If you don't have a College Board account or have trouble accessing your scores, your guidance counselor can give you an access code for your online PSAT score report. Also, you should receive an old-fashioned paper score report at school by the end of January. What's on the PSAT Score Report? Your score report includes your overall composite score, as well as your score on each section (Reading, Writing and Language, and Math). The score reports have an extremely detailed breakdown of your strengths and weaknesses. There are also percentile rankings to see where you stand compared to students nationwide, both overall and for specific skills. You're also provided witha personalized SAT Study Plan based on questions you answered incorrectly or omitted on the PSAT. You can review those questions and then access other SAT practice questions to help you prepare for the SAT. There is also a personality profiler to help match you up with college majors and careers, and a feature that matches you with colleges you may be interested in, based on your potential SAT scores and your desired college location and size. The main benefit of the more detailed analysis of your results is access topersonalized SAT study on the Khan Academy website. This includes targeted practice based on your weaker areas. Finally, there's a feature that predicts AP courses you may do well in based on your results. This might be handy, but we recommend mainly using the PSAT report to get ready for the SAT. If your report encourages you to sign up for an AP class you were already considering, go for it! But you should base your AP course load on other factors, including colleges you want to get into and your own personal interests and strengths. What’s the Best Way to Use the Report? We have a more detailed post on how to interpret and use your PSAT scores, but these are the basic principles of getting the most out of your PSAT score report. P is for Practice PSAT stands for Practice SAT, and that’s really how you should consider your scores. The PSAT was just your first attempt at the SAT. Don't assume your scores are a perfect prediction of your future SAT scores. They're not. However, they can give you insight into your strengths and weaknesses, which is very helpful as you begin to study for the real SAT. Also, you should mainly use your PSAT results to help you study for the SAT. The AP prediction feature College Board is adding is cool, but don’t let that rule how you create your schedule. AP tests are very different than general achievement tests like the SAT, so you should think about them separately. Bottom line? Use your PSAT results to help you prepare for the SAT (or your junior year PSAT, if you’re going for National Merit). Don't Stress Over a Low Score Don’t be stressed if you think your score is low – colleges will not see your PSAT scores. They will see your SAT score (if you take it instead of the ACT, that is), so focus on using the PSAT score report as a study guide for the SAT. Don't waste time moping over a low score. Since taking the PSAT already gives you lots of data on your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to the test, it will be easier to jump into SAT studying. If you have work to do in all areas, you could start by getting a quality, all-around prep book or checking out SAT study websites. If you really struggled in one subject, for example math, it’s not too early to seek out specific resources like prep books for math. Also, if you took the PSAT as a sophomore and you’re hoping to qualify for National Merit junior year, you can use SAT study materials to prepare for the PSAT. The stresswill fade eventually. Don't Let a Great Score Go To Your Head If you happened to get an excellent score on the PSAT, don’t assume you don’t have to study for the SAT – the SAT is more difficult than the PSAT. It’s longer, contains harder questions, and, if you choose to take the SAT with Writing, contains an additional essay. A high PSAT score is encouraging, but a high score on a real SAT practice test would be even better. Be prepared to put in some time studying for the SAT to get a score as high as your predicted PSAT score. What’s Next? Read more about the PSAT scores you need to qualify for National Merit, and how to get the scholarship. Wondering what content differences there are between the PSAT and SAT? Learn more about how the two tests compare to one another here. What would it take to get a perfect SAT score? Read a guide by our resident perfect scorer to find out. Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Halle Edwards About the Author Halle Edwards graduated from Stanford University with honors. In high school, she earned 99th percentile ACT scores as well as 99th percentile scores on SAT subject tests. She also took nine AP classes, earning a perfect score of 5 on seven AP tests. As a graduate of a large public high school who tackled the college admission process largely on her own, she is passionate about helping high school students from different backgrounds get the knowledge they need to be successful in the college admissions process. Get Free Guides to Boost Your SAT/ACT Get FREE EXCLUSIVE insider tips on how to ACE THE SAT/ACT. 100% Privacy. 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