; Whereas protection of religious liberty remains undeniably intertwined with the freedoms inherent in democracy, and as Ronald Reagan stated To those who cite the first amendment as reason for excluding God from more and more of our institutions and everyday life, may I just say: The first amendment of the Constitution was not written to protect the people of this country from religious values; it was written to protect religious values from government tyranny. ; and Whereas persecution because of religious beliefs will not be tolerated within the United States: Now, therefore, be it