Religious freedom is the most important constitutional right for nearly one-third of Americans, according to a national poll, second only to freedom of speech. Yet half said the notion of separation of church and state has gone too far.
Despite the strong support for religious liberties, 50 percent of those polled said separation between religion and the government should be less strictly interpreted or is not necessary at all, and two-thirds support some type of school prayer.
“There exists a striking paradox between how Americans regard two elements to religious liberty,” said Tommy Baer, president of the Virginia-based Council for America’s First Freedom, which commissioned the July poll.
“Many citizens apparently make no connection between the right to practice their religion,” he said, and “keeping matters of faith out of the public domain.”
The phone survey of 500 men and 500 women revealed other inconsistencies regarding religious tolerance. Eighty-one percent of respondents approved of public school teachers reading from sacred texts while examining the role of religion in America. But reactions about specific texts varied: 81 percent supported reading from the New Testament, while only 68 percent said it was OK to read from the Quran.
Americans were also confused about what religious rights are protected by the Constitution. A significant number of respondents thought door-to-door proselytizing and wearing religious symbols were not protected.
The findings of this poll were released Oct. 3.
(RNS)
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