Text: Jefferson’s phrase was a shout of triumph after a winning fight against new-world remnants of old-world ecclesiasticism. In Cantwell vs. Connecticut [81] we find a summary of that great victory in words more likely to be useful under twentieth century conditions : “The constitutional inhibition of legislation on the subject of religion has a double aspect. On the one hand, it forestalls compulsion by law of the acceptance of any creed or the practice of any form of worship. Freedom of conscience and freedom to adhere to such religious organization or form of worship as the individual may choose cannot be restricted by law. On the other hand, it safeguards the free exercise of the chosen form of religion.” [82] Footnotes follow; the 2 cited in this excerpt are: “81. 310 U.S. 296 (1940). 82. Id. at 303; Justice Roberts for the unanimous Court.” [Not the SCOTUS Justice Roberts, it probably goes without saying!]
https://media.mstdn.social/media_attachments/files/112/889/227/881/986/154/original/662af5f97c05d2e7.jpeg