Where do I Draw the Line? is written by a constitutional lawyer, Michael P. Farris, and it discusses legal issues that limit Christian’s rights and religious freedom. In Where do I Draw the Line? Farris also offers advice for Christians to respond to pressure from the community. Where do I Draw the Line? is 224 pages long and is not written as a legal document. The book should appeal to everyone, therefore. Where do I Draw the Line? offers some good, practical advice. Would you be interested in this type of legal advice?
Where do I Draw the Line? Summary
It is best to list the chapters in Where do I Draw the Line? to give you some idea of the topics covered therein. The chapters in Where do I Draw the Line? are 18 in number. First, pushed to the limit; second, citizens of two worlds; third, weapons that work; fourth, the battle over public education; fifth, the fight over private education: Christian and home school; sixth, the battle for parents’ rights, seventh, the rights of Christians on the job, eighth, the battle for the church, ninth keeping the ‘Right Spirit.’
Tenth, the battle for religious freedom; eleventh, the battle for moral sanity; twelfth, the global struggle for religious freedom, becoming a wise voter; fourteenth, how to become a ‘Christian Lobbyist’; fifteenth, working with ‘our friends’ in the media, sixtieth, how to be a wise litigant, seventeenth, stand up without losing balance, eighteenth, God’s final chapter.
Religious Freedom
One of the great things about the United States, as Farris writes in Where Do I Draw the Line?, is that freedom of religion is a constitutionally protected right provided in the First Amendment’s religion clauses. As stated in the Bill of Rights, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” Therefore, Americans are free to pursue whatever religion they choose.
Controversies surrounding the freedom of religion in the United States have included many cases that have reached the United States Supreme Court. Topics include, but are not limited to, building places of worship, compulsory speech, prohibited counseling, compulsory consumerism, the workplace, and marriage and the family. Religious freedom remains an important topic today.
The United States Constitution mentions religion in two places: the First Amendment and the Article VI prohibition on religious tests as a condition for holding public office. The First Amendment prohibits Congress from making a law “respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” While there are no religious tests for holding office in the United States, it is worth pointing out that highly religious candidates seldom win political office, particularly at the national level.
To say the issue of religious freedom is important may understate its importance. Where do I Draw the Line? Some state constitutions in the United States require belief in God or a Supreme Being as a prerequisite for holding public office or being a witness in court. This applies to Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
Conclusion
Where do I Draw the Line? is both well-written and vital. It should be of interest to everyone who is interested in their individual rights in the United States. What is more important is that Where do I Draw the Line? is well-written and accessible. It is better than reading Supreme Court Opinions. Though Farris does quote from them occasionally, his main method of writing is to tell stories, which Where do I Draw the Line? is full of.
