Stossel 2015 04 17 Church and State WS SDTV x264-XAiO

John F. Stossel is an American consumer reporter, investigative journalist, author, libertarian columnist, and former co-anchor for the ABC News show 20/20. In this show he looks at consumer-focused topics, such as civil liberties, the business of health care, and free trade.

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CHURCH AND STATE

Friday at 9PM ET on FBN

WAR ON RELIGION: Some of my Fox colleagues say Christianity is under attack, but I don't see much of that. America is a Christian country. Compared to other countries, religion thrives. 90% of Americans believe in God. 40% say they go to church every week. In France and Germany, fewer than 10% go. In Denmark, 3%.

INDIANA LAW: Opponents of Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act say it discriminates against gays. Others say it's a matter of religious freedom. I say it should be about individual freedom. All debate.

SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE: Most Americans believe in separation of church and state. But in some towns, the 10 commandments are posted conspicuously in front of courthouses. "In God We Trust" is written all over our currency.

Is this wrong? It turns out that "separation of church and state" is mentioned nowhere in the Constitution. My guests debate.

DESECRATING THE SACRED: In Texas, the Lipan Apache Indian tribe has celebrated its religion for thousands of years by conducting a ceremony that includes wearing eagle feathers.

Eagles are no longer endangered, and anyway, the tribe doesn't use feathers from live birds. Nevertheless, the Fish and Wildlife service raided the tribe and confiscated feathers because the tribe didn't have a permit for feathers. "For the government to take those feathers away is like ripping the heart out of their religion" says Kristina Arriaga of the Becket Fund.

BIRTH CONTROL: Our current big-government president says he believes in freedom of religion. But that didn't stop his functionaries from forcing Christian groups that believe birth control is murder to pay for birth control pills and morning-after pills for their employees.

BLUE LAWS: Depending on what state you're in, you may not be allowed to buy this bottle on Sunday...

That's because "blue laws" say Sunday should be a day of worship. But not all religions worship on Sunday. Blue laws blur the appropriate relationship between church and state.

FREE-MARKET FAITH: The Pilgrims and the Puritans did not come to America for religious freedom for all of us (as many people think). They enforced their own religious tyranny. But once the federal government limited their power to tax for religion, America's religious market grew diverse. That created competition and innovation and that's a reason religion has thrived in America.

MY TAKE: When it comes to religion, I want to believe. I see the sense of peace and purpose that many religious people have. So I've tried to become religious. I even tried Buddhism and Hinduism in my hippie days!

But nothing stuck. What I do know is that if people are free to choose how and when to worship, or not to, we are all freer, and better off.

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