Constantine Is One Of The Main Reasons For Freedom Of Religion Essay

Decent Essays
Unit 4 Paper:
Constantine is one of the main reasons for freedom of religion still to this day. Christianity was once banned from the Roman empire. When Constantine became the Roman Emperor he legalized Christianity making it okay for people to practice the religion. While doing so, he also allowed people to practice the religion of their choice. Constantine had an impact on Christianity for that reason. However, he also had a substantial amount of impact on religion as a whole due to the fact that we are able to practice whatever religion we please still to this day. Many other leaders throughout the centuries have followed Constantine’s aid to religion. There are benefits of state support for religion, but there are also negative aspects.
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One of the biggest problems is the state forcing their beliefs onto society. No one other than yourself, has the entitlement to tell you what to believe or what religion to practice. When a state aids a certain religion, they control the religion of anyone who lives in that state. If the state supports/aids to religion, the laws will be affected. The state should be able to come up with laws of their own that do not reflect religion. It is biased for the state to make laws based off of religion because it imposes force on society for something they do not believe or accept. For example, if the United States were to make a law that we must pray every day at a certain time it would be unfair to those who do not believe in praying or in a higher being. When the state aids to religion, the schools are allowed to teach young students about religion. If children begin school when they are five, they are too young to know right from wrong. Learning about religion at such a young age can be brainwashing depending on the beliefs. For instance, if there is a religion that a state supports that believes murder is justified, the child will grow up to believe murder is the right thing. When a church is assisted by the state, no one has freedom for anything. Not their religion and not laws. If you choose to disobey the state by not following their laws which is a reflection of their religion, it will result in consequences such as prison or

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