Dal Soglio 1

Megan Dal Soglio

Professor Kubler
English 115
9 December 2014
Where Do We Draw the Line?
In todays society, with the conflicts going on in the middle-east and the struggles we
seem to be having in America, it is more evident than ever that the conflict between government
and religion is at an all-time high. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution
prohibits the government from passing any law regarding the establishment of religion or
impeding the free exercise of religion. In other words, the government should not force any
particular religion on its citizens but it also should not stop its citizens from freely practicing
whatever religion they choose. Today, it is more important than ever that we find the right
balance between individual religious rights and the obligation of the government to prevent the
exercise of those individual freedoms in a way that discriminates against or hurts others.
The difficulty of what can happen when a government imposes one religious viewpoint
on its people is demonstrated in Persepolis, an autobiography by Marjane Satrapi, depicting her
childhood throughout the Islamic revolution. In 1979, the Shah was exiled from Iran for trying
to turn his country into a democracy. Ayatollah Khomeini was elected the next leader and he
declared an Islamic republic. He created a new Constitution in which the people had to follow
his rules in Iran. Ayatollah believed he was doing the right thing in bringing his ethics of Islam
into the government. If the government was kept separate from their religion, the people would
have more freedom and rights. But with a Muslim nation on the rise it restricts and limits people
on what they can say and do.

Dal Soglio 2

When their country went to war Marjis family developed a new way of life by living in
constant fear of being caught and punished for doing anything that supported western
behavior. If they were caught playing cards or chess, listening to music or watching videos and
drinking alcohol they were sure to be punished, either killed or thrown in prison. Luckily, they
were never caught but as a way of revolting against their government, Marjis family would have
secret parties or card games with wine that was made by Marjis uncle, to deal with all the stress.
Women were forced to wear veils covering the majority of their body. The women who wanted
to make a statement in disagreeing with the Islamic regime would have a few strands of hair
stick out from their veil. Not wearing the veils was considered provocative and edgy but it is
dehumanizing and just completely takes away all your rights as a human being when told what to
wear when a religiously based government is in power. These people in Iran should have a say
in what they wear, what they listen to and watch, and anything else that has been taken away
from them because of their government. No one should have to live in fear afraid of what their
leaders may do to them.
In the United States, our country has tried to keep church and state separate from each
other so there would be no conflicts. However, several recent cases demonstrate that even in the
United States, it is not always easy to determine the proper balance between religious freedom
and rights of those who want to be free from imposed religion. One example of a case where the
government intruded too far in restricting the free exercise of religion was the case in Rhode
Island forcing the removal of a prayer banner in a school because it was offensive to one student
over a fifty year time span. In that case, a high school girl sued her school over a banner hanging
that read the Lords Prayer on it. This prayer banner had been hanging in the school since it was
donated in 1963 by the schools first graduating class. The Court declared the banner to be in
violation of the First Amendments Establishment Clause in the Constitution, so Cranston High

Dal Soglio 3

School West lost the case and had to remove the banner. In the case, the banner that was part of
the schools history had to be removed because of one girl who was offended by it. According to
the video played in class, most the kids didnt even notice the banner was there and even if they
did, it did not offend them. For nearly 50 years, no one else made that poster a problem even if it
went against their religion. In my opinion, a harmless poster that is a part of history being
displayed in school was not worth a lawsuit that was worth over hundreds of thousands of
dollars. The court may have thought that this banner violated the United States Constitution;
however, in doing so, the Court denied the free exercise of religious and freedom of speech.
This banner was not forcing anyone to recognize or follow any particular religion, but was
simple a gift from the first graduating class that the school kept on display. I believe if a religion
is not being forced on you by a display of a banner, then you are not being hurt by it and
therefore can simply ignore it. If there was no lawsuit and that sign was still hanging in that
school, I am pretty sure everyone would be going about their daily lives just fine today.
In another case where the government stepped over the lines of someones religious
freedom was the Elane Photography Lawsuit. Elane Photography received an email asking if she
would be open to helping us celebrate our day. Elaine politely declined to use her artistic
expression to communicate a message at odds with her beliefs, as stated in an online article.
Unfortunately, when the case was taken to The New Mexico Human Rights Commission, they
found Elane Photography guilty of sexual orientation discrimination, and ordered her to pay
$6,640 in attorneys fees to the gay couple. The Human Rights Commission went too far in
forcing Elaine to violate her religious views. It was entirely appropriate for a woman of faith
who was humbly exercising her freedom rights to decline to take photos of a ceremony that went
against her religious views. There was no discrimination or passing judgment of any kind. She
simply wasnt willing to attend the ceremony and capture memories for this couple when it

Dal Soglio 4

wasnt something she believed was right. The couple was even able to find a new photographer
for their commitment ceremony shortly after Elane Photography denied them so there was no
need for a lawsuit. When the case got to the United States Supreme Court they declined to hear
the case. The Supreme Court should have intervened to allow Elaine Photography to follow its
religious convictions.
In contrast to the photography case, Barronelle Stutzman, the owner of a florist shop, is
someone who has discriminated against people on the basis of sexual orientation. In Richland,
Washington, Stutzman, who was been in the flower business for almost 40 years and made
bouquets for hundreds of weddings, turned down one couple because of their sexuality and is
being sued for sexual discrimination. I am sorry. I can't do your wedding because of my
relationship with Jesus Christ, said Stutzman as it was reported on KEPRTV.com. However,
simply arranging flowers for someones wedding does not impinge upon her relationship with
Christ. Unlike the photography case where the lady was asked to actually attend the ceremony
and take pictures of the entire event, Stutzman was only asked to provide flowers. She didnt
have to agree with the marriage or attend the wedding ceremony. In this case, she had been
providing floral arrangements to both the men for nearly ten years. She has sold them flowers
for every holiday, birthdays, anniversary, and even other occasions but because they decide to
get married she refused her services. That is discrimination because her faith has nothing to do
with arranging flowers. This case is still ongoing, but this is a case where an individual should
not be allowed to discriminate using their religion as an excuse and the government or court
should intervene to protect the gay couple and ensure that justice prevails.
It is extremely important that society finally find the right balance between individual
religious rights and the obligation of the government to prevent the exercise of those individual
freedoms in a way that is discriminating others rights and the government. The government

Dal Soglio 5

shouldnt be forcing a certain religion on its people but still sticking up for its citizens who are
simply practicing their faith. In the United States, the government needs to consistently find a
way to protect the rights of individuals to freely exercise their religion without imposing their
religious beliefs

Dal Soglio 6

Works Cited
Satrapi, Marjane, and Marjane Satrapi. The Complete Persepolis. New York: Pantheon,

2007. N. pag. Print.

"Elane Photography v. Willock." Alliance Defending Freedom For Faith and Justice. N.p., 7 Apr. 2014.

Web.

Mohammed, Ravelle. RI School to Remove Prayer Banner After Atheist Teen Wins Lawsuit. Rep.
N.p., 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.
"Prayer Banner at Cranston West Covered." YouTube. YouTube,
N.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.

Andrews, Annie. "Local Florist Refuses to Service Same-sex." KEPR 19. N.p., 6 Mar. 2013. Web. 22 Sept. 2014