WASHINGTON (ABP) — A new nationwide survey suggests that Americans love religious freedom but are less avid about the separation of church and state.
The Virginia-based Council for America's First Freedom commissioned the survey, which was taken in early August. It found that 52 percent of respondents believe freedom of religion is the most important constitutional right besides freedom of speech. That figure is higher than those for freedom of the press (19 percent), the right to bear arms (16 percent) and the freedom of assembly (10 percent).
Additionally, 84 percent said they believe that religious liberty is at least as important today as it was at the time the nation was founded and a similar 83 percent reject the idea of a state-established official religion.
However, almost half of all respondents (49 percent) said they believe the separation of church and state — which advocates say is the safeguard of religious freedom — is either unnecessary or is currently interpreted too strictly.
In addition, only 47 percent correctly identified the First Amendment as the document that guarantees their religious freedom. A high proportion (32 percent) of respondents identified the Declaration of Independence as the legal safeguard of their religious liberty, and nine percent picked the Ten Commandments.
The survey was conducted the week of Aug. 9. It involved 1,000 adults — evenly divided between men and women — and had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
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