MODULE WEEK 3

Module Week 3



Module Week 3

NOTE: EVERYTHING HAS BEEN POSTED ONLINE.

Discussion 1

The discussion topic for this week is mainly related to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. However, the discussion is not based upon the explication or application of the First Amendment, but it is related to the discussion of religious freedom, in the light of Constitution. In my opinion, the religious freedom must be provided in the society, because it is a subjective matter. In a diversified society like the United States, the individuals must be provided to perform their religious practices to an extent that does not breach any of the rights of other individuals, or violate any law. The religion is a subjective matter, on which the individuals must be provided with freedom. However, the laws must be developed beyond any specific religion. The first reason for this is the fact that the American society is a diverse society, in which there are numerous different and diverse individuals are residing. Keeping this factor in consideration, the law and the specific religion must be separated (Ivers, 2013).

In addition, the specificity of religion will also cause the promotion of inequality between diverse populations, which does not conform to the Constitution, because of its democratic and egalitarian basis. Hence, the church must be separate from the state. As far as the protection of rights regarding religion is concerned, the First Amendment is significant and sufficient in promoting freedom of religion for each and every individual. The major reason for this opinion is that the Constitution is sufficient to protect all of the human rights, which also includes the liberty. This is comprehended in the First Amendment, which extensively promotes the freedom of religion for each member of the society (Ivers, 2013).

Discussion 2

The Constitution of the United States was written before the advancements of technology, in which the matter of internet based communication or speech must not have been incorporated. However, the idea of freedom of speech, which is also applied upon the press, has extensive applicability on the contemporary mediums and modes of communications. The Communication Decency Act is one of the best examples of this applicability of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which is precisely related to the explicit material on the internet. However, in the case of Reno v. ACLU, the Court ruled that the Communication Decency Act limits the right of freedom of speech of adults (Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, 1997). On these bases, it is justified that the virtual freedom of speech is not similar to the freedom of speech in other media outlet. The major reason for this that internet based communication has a more extensive scope as compared to other media outlets (Ivers, 2013).

Moreover, this hatches other significant concerns regarding the civil rights and civil liberties of individuals. The extensive scope of internet based communication does have impact upon the legal provision of protecting children from harmful material. However, in the case of Reno ...