In our Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776, our forefathers acknowledged a Christian God writing that to secure the rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, the consent of the governed must be given to the Government that is established by the Declaration.
In our US Constitution and Bill of Rights (the summary of which, with links to their respective ANP Articles in which they were discussed, is available in my November 21, 2025 ANP Article). The 1st Amendment, in particular (discussed in my October 17, 2025 ANP Article) reminds us that our Government is not to take on a "State" religion (as many other countries do).
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Unfortunately, this only precludes Congress from taking any action to incorporate religion into Federal government. It does NOT preclude infiltration of groups into local & state governments changing the local laws to be more "faith based" reflecting the rules of certain faiths (like the recent surge of Shari'a based laws and courts being addressed in Texas and other areas). Indeed, the Mayor of Keller, Texas, declared by Mayoral proclamation "one U.S. Constitution, one legal system, and equal justice under the law. No competing legal systems have authority here." In addition, Texas Governor Abbot has ordered AGs and Sheriffs to investigate entities that have established courts with judges who are "purportedly binding individuals to Islamic codes" pre-empting State and Federal laws.
Texas Governor Abbot goes on to state that while various religions (he named Presbyterian, Catholic, and Jewish) can still correct members religiously to "preserve the purity, peace, and good order of a congregation" that correction is fundamentally different from religious groups setting up their own courts to replace actual courts thereby evading our country's laws. He specifically names Islamic Shari'a courts and judges who have taken over the State & Federal application of OUR laws, subjecting all within their power (starting with those of their religion and extending into the local community) to the rules of the Islamic government (discussed in my December 23, 2025 ANP Article) where we learned that the Qur'an is the main text of all Islamic belief and Shari'a is the rules derived from the Qur'an. A secondary source for Islamic rules is the Sunnah which contains verbal narratives about their Prophet on what is and is not acceptable within Islam. And we learned the:
Qur'an is the foundation of government in some Muslim countries. The religion is the government. There is no "separation of church and state" in these Muslim countries.
We also learned that the Qur'an espouses very violent, bloody way of life in which the "believers" are compelled to murder and maim both believers and non believers for not adopting the way of Islam. Non believers are beheaded, and those who leave Islam are killed for leaving. And yet we call Islam a religion. How can we allow a "religion" that calls for murdering those who do not adhere to its tenents or want to change their beliefs?
In the US, we have the IRS and under section 501(c)(3) of our tax code, Churches (and integrated auxiliaries, conventions, or associations of those Churches) can be tax exempt. Meet the following criterion and you are considered a "religious organization" exempt from tax code and any donations to your organization are considered "tax deductable" and can be deducted from the individual's tax return the following year. Your organization must meet the "exempt purposes" set forth in the tax code:
The exempt purposes set forth in section 501(c)(3) are charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and preventing cruelty to children or animals. The term charitable is used in its generally accepted legal sense and includes relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged; advancement of religion; advancement of education or science; erecting or maintaining public buildings, monuments, or works; lessening the burdens of government; lessening neighborhood tensions; eliminating prejudice and discrimination; defending human and civil rights secured by law; and combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency.
So, basically, say you are a religious organization and your goal is advancement of your religion (no matter how that plays out in real life), file the appropriate paperwork, and file your tax forms (based on income with some not having to file at all), and you are, for all intents and purposes, a "religion" as designated by a government office (i.e., the IRS). It does not matter if your "religion" advocates for murdering of all who are not part of your religion. It does not matter if your "religion" murders all who leave the group. It does not matter if your "religion" calls for maiming criminals. It does not matter if your "religion" just so happens to be the foundation of government in other countries. I think we have a problem with our definition of "religion."
"Religion" is defined(according to dictionary.com) as
a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.
a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects. Examples: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.
the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices. Example: a world council of religions.
the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.. Example: to enter religion.
the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.
something one believes in and follows devotedly; a point or matter of ethics or conscience.https://www.dictionary.com/browse/religion to make a religion of fighting prejudice.
Archaic. religions, religious rites. Example: painted priests performing religions deep into the night.
Archaic. strict faithfulness; devotion. a religion to one's vow.
Words that are considered the "opposite" (antonyms) of religion are:
STRONGEST: fact; reality; truth
STRONG: carelessness; neglect
WEAK: agnosticism; atheism; disbelief
When I read this list, my first thought was "WOW, bias anyone?" Makes me wonder who is running the Thesaurus.com sites when they consider religion to be myth & superstition while claiming the "opposite" of "religion" is fact, reality, and truth (sounds like communism to me).
The website, Learn Religions, on the other hand, provides a set of primary tenents within a religion:
Belief in Supernatural Beings - Belief in the supernatural, especially gods, is one of the most obvious characteristics of religion.
Sacred vs Profane Objects, Places, Times - Sacred times, places, and object remind us that there is more to life than what we see.
Ritual Acts Focused on Sacred Objects, Places, Times - If a religion emphasizes the sacred, then it will also emphasize ritual acts involving the sacred.
Moral Code With Supernatural Origins - Because religions are typically social and communal in nature, it's only to be expected that they also have directions about how people should behave and treat each other, not to mention outsiders.
Characteristically Religious Feelings - Awe, a sense of mystery, a sense of guilt, and adoration are "religious feelings" which tend to be aroused in religious believers when they come in the presence of sacred objects, in sacred places, and during the practice of sacred rituals.
Prayer and Other Forms of Communication - There is no single type of prayer or single type of effort to communicate, just a common desire to reach out.
A World View & Organization of Ones Life Based on the World View - This picture will usually include some details of an overall purpose or point of the world and an indication of how the individual fits into that as well - for example, are they supposed to serve the gods, or do the gods exist to help them along?
A Social Group Bound Together by the Above - Religious believers sometimes associate with each other to the exclusion of non-adherents, and may place this community at the center of their lives.
A system of spiritual beliefs, practices, or both, typically organized around the worship of an all-powerful deity (or deities) and involving behaviors such as prayer, meditation, and participation in collective rituals. Other common features of organized religions are the belief that certain moral teachings have divine authority, and the recognition of certain people, places, texts, or objects as holy or sacred. - Adapted from the APA Dictionary of Psychology
The College of the Holy Cross finds there are 8 elements that define a religion and asks you to answer a brief question for each of the elements:
Belief System or Worldview: Many beliefs that fit together in a system to make sense of the universe and our place in it. * What is one central belief of your religion?
Community: The belief system is shared, and its ideals are practiced by a group. * How is your religion shared with others in your religious community?
Central Stories/Myths: Stories that help explain the beliefs of a group; these are told over and over again and sometimes performed by members of the group. They may or may not be factual. * What is one of the myths or stories from your religion?
Rituals: Beliefs are explained, taught, and made real through ceremonies. * What ritual do you find meaningful in your religion?
Ethics: Rules about how to behave; these rules are often thought to have come from a deity or supernatural place, but they might also be seen as guidelines created by the group over time. * What is one rule from your religion you are supposed to follow?
Characteristic Emotional Experiences: Most religions share emotions such as awe, mystery, guilt, joy, devotion, conversion, inner peace, etc. Have you ever had an emotional religious experience? * What was it like?
Material Expression: Religions use things to perform rituals or to express or represent beliefs, such as: statues, paintings, music, flowers, incense, clothes, architecture, and specific sacred locations. * What is one thing used in your religion? What is it used for?
Sacredness: Religions see some things as sacred and some not sacred (or profane). Some objects, actions, people and places may share in the sacredness or express it. * Can you think of a sacred place associated with your religion? Why is it sacred?
Nowhere in any of these definitions is the morality of the rules of a particular religion challenged. Nor is the idea of religious rules conflicting with secular law. For example, in secular law, it is illegal to murder someone. However, in some "religions" it is not only allowed, it is commanded, as in Islam, that followers murder non-believers. In some religions, like Judaism, murder of the unborn is allowed up to the seconds just before the newborn baby takes its first breath.
I think "religions" whose tenents are not only antithetical to our US Constitution and Bill of Rights but advocate the 'taking over' of the existing form of government of a country to install their religious form of governments need to be banned outright. And, they should not qualify for 501(c)(3) status.
Judy Chu (CA-28) and Chris Coons (DE) have introduced legislation(February 2025) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 USC 1182(f)) to prohibit discrimination based on the religion of the incoming alien to fight against EO 14161. This legislation is co-sponsored by Jerry Nadler (NY-12), Don Beyer (VA-08), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Andre Carson (IN-07), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12). They do not attempt to define what they mean by "religion" other than calling it EO 14161 a ban on Muslims.
I think our country needs a definitive definition for what constitutes a religion. This definition needs to include a clause allowing the banning of religions that advocate violence against those not included within their religion. Any "religion" that over-rides our Laws and Customs with their own courts should be investigated for attempting to create a "State Religion." If a religion is also the country's government, that government should follow the rules for governments entering another country (they have embassy and consulates allowing them to maintain ties with their government while on foreign soil). Individuals adhering to these religion-based governments should never be allowed to run for political office in our country as long as their allegiance is to their religion-based government (so if they are an adherent of the religion that forms the basis of their government, they should automatically be denied the right to run for public office).
Seems to me it would be helpful to identify the parameters of what a "religion" is before deciding which of these should or should not be banned. Is a "religion" that calls for the taking over of our US Government and installing a set of religious tenents as law truly a religion?
A word of caution is provided by Hackett, Stonawski, et.al., in their recent publication at Pew Research Center. Their research notes that Muslims were the fastest-growing religion group between 2010 and 2020, growing to 25.6% of the world population, the majority of that gain was in the EU (gee I wonder why that would be). Christians fell to 28.8% of the world's population (even though they remain at the top of the list). And those unaffiliated with any religion grew from 16.3% to 24.2%, the largest growth of any of the categories.
A variety of religions have been banned by various countries for various reasons, not all of them for violence or "take over the government" beliefs:
Those are some of the exact words used by Googles censors, aka 'Orwelliancontent police,' in describing many of our controversial stories.Stories later proven to be truthful and light years ahead of the mainstream media. But because we reported those 'inconvenient truths' they're trying to bankrupt ANP.
