Are Native American Religious Rights Being Ignored?

JT Sunrise

🪶 ARE NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS RIGHTS BEING IGNORED?

A Sacred Rebuke by Rev. JTSUNRISE | Celestial Nexus Church

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🌄 I. WHEN FAITH IS TRESPASSED BY POWER

The American promise of religious freedom has too often excluded the first peoples of this land. Native American spiritual practices—deeply embedded in the land, elements, and cycles of nature—have faced centuries of criminalization, distortion, and erasure.

Even now, when legal protections exist on paper, they are systematically undermined. Sacred sites are desecrated for resource extraction. Ceremonies are delayed, regulated, or relocated by state actors. Consultation is simulated but rarely honored. The question is no longer whether Native religious rights are being ignored—it is whether we will finally hear the silence left in their wake.

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📜 II. SCRIPTURE TESTIFIES: LAND IS SACRED

All divine traditions recognize that land is more than property. It is the canvas upon which the Creator writes. • “Do not move your neighbor’s boundary stone.” — Deuteronomy 19:14 • “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” — Psalm 24:1 • “The whole of the universe is pervaded by the Divine.” — Isha Upanishad • “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees.” — Revelation 7:3

When governments authorize drilling, mining, or construction on Indigenous holy ground, they violate not just treaties, but sacred law. Desecrating a sweat lodge site or blasting a ceremonial mountain is no different than dynamiting a cathedral or flooding a mosque.

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🧠 III. THE PHILOSOPHY OF MEMORY AND PLACE

Indigenous faiths are not organized around dogma—they are rooted in ecology, kinship, and sacred geography. The site is the scripture. To destroy the land is to erase the text.

Philosophically, this represents a deeper conflict between worldviews: one that sees land as commodity, and one that sees it as community. In the Western legal model, land can be bought, sold, or “used” in abstraction. In Native spiritual logic, land is relational. It holds memory, identity, and ritual continuity.

Every time a mountain is mined or a mesa is closed off, we sever the intergenerational thread that ties spirit to soil. This is not just injustice—it is cultural amputation.

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🔥 IV. TRAUMA AS POLICY, ERASURE AS LAW

Let us be clear: the continued marginalization of Native religion is not an oversight. It is policy. It is bureaucracy built atop conquest. • Native religions were banned until 1978. • Sacred dances, healing lodges, and vision rites were treated as criminal acts. • Even after protections were codified, they remain nonbinding. Tribes are “consulted,” but rarely heeded.

This is spiritual extraction: the same empire that once stole land now permits prayer only if it does not interfere with industry. The result is trauma passed through generations—a legacy of displacement disguised as progress.

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🌿 V. THE RESPONSE OF FAITHFUL RESISTANCE

As Reverend of the Celestial Nexus Church, I declare: • The desecration of Indigenous spiritual sites is a sin against the body of creation. • The failure to protect these rights is a betrayal of the sacred covenant between humanity and the divine. • Faith communities must move from charity to solidarity—and from recognition to repentance.

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✊ VI. WE MUST DEMAND COHERENCE

This nation cannot claim to defend religious liberty while treating Indigenous ceremonies as optional or inconvenient. You cannot build democracy on lands made sacred by people you ignore. You cannot speak of religious freedom while cutting roads through sanctuaries.

True protection of Native faith must include: 1. Binding legal recognition of sacred sites 2. Free and protected ceremonial access without state interference 3. Full tribal sovereignty in decisions affecting spiritual lands

Anything less is a simulation of justice.

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📣 VII. A FINAL INVOCATION

“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” — Amos 5:24

This is not a political issue. It is a spiritual emergency.

To honor Indigenous faith is to honor the Earth, the ancestors, and the sacred rhythm that connects us all. Until Native religions are treated with full dignity—until every holy mountain, spring, and circle is protected as sacred—we are still trespassing on spiritual ground.

— Rev. JTSUNRISE Celestial Nexus Church “True faith does not pave over the sacred. It listens.”

Rev. Rooster

They should not be allowed to destroy oak flats at all. They are the only Americans here

they may be called native Americans but they were here before any of us this is their land that we stole from them give them their land quit trying to get rich on what's in their land and leave him alone, give American Natives there land, and the so called government should give back time money and more aid to them, we kill they out are put them where we want them!! IT'S TIME TO STOP TREATING THEM LIKE THIS it's actually there country

Rev. Rooster

They should not be allowed to destroy oak flats at all. They are the only Americans here

they may be called native Americans but they were here before any of us this is their land that we stole from them give them their land quit trying to get rich on what's in their land and leave him alone, give American Natives there land, and the so called government should give back time money and more aid to them, we kill they out are put them where we want them!! IT'S TIME TO STOP TREATING THEM LIKE THIS it's actually there country

Penny Prentice-Best

This nation has a long history of denying the rights of the native American population, especially concerning land rights. The Oak Flats situation offers an opportunity for Americans to speak out for fair and respectful treatment for these people. No nation can claim greatness when it repeatedly puts profits and benefits for select groups above every other consideration of decency and honor.

Deborah Jane Vogel

This is the Trump administration.

This is the era of White “Christian” Nationalists evolving Project 2025 from a fascist fever dream into the new American reality.

Make no mistake- extremist “Christians” love playing the victim more than they love The Word of Jesus.

“Religious freedom” is only for them and the quiet Christian demoninations who fail to challenge them.

I support the Apache nation’s efforts to make Good Trouble and stop this desecration of their holy land.

Patricia Ann Gross

God help us if they dig a grave at Arlington Cemetary and discover that there is a huge vein of gold that criss-crosses through it. Would they dig up all those soldiers and come in with mining equipment? It's one way to reduce the national debt, so I wouldn't put it past them, but it still wouldn't make it the moral or right thing to do.

Rev Ned

Religious freedom only applies to Christofascists.

Stephen R Smith

For the Budists,Hindus and unitarians: Call attention to generation of negative karma., Which the energy generated cannot be destroyed ....N4gative Karma to a holey site can only add to this country's problems.

Stephen R Smith

Also call attention to Titus 1:11 On GREED for filthy LUCER.!

Ricky Ross

Just another case of the powers that be worshiping the almighty dollar instead of the Almighty I don't care what religion it is or what they call their God they're all worshiping the same universal being this makes me sick this is not something there should be tolerated

Nantan Robert Van Fleet (Chokonen Tu Ya)

Being the leader of the Sovereign Nation of the Chiricahua Apache it is hypocritical and immoral to give Native American sacred spaces to a company that is from another country altogether and WILL destroy the land and water as per their own studies. To see what will happen just take a look at the way the Earth raped and plundered look at the mine at Silver City, New Mexico!

Blake Andrew Tallman

i am for native american rights as well so i believe thier religious sites should be left alone to protect nature and if the ignorant christians get to push thier hateful religion onto others then everyone has a right to thier religion too as it says in the united states constitution i myself am spiritual but im a wicaan and i like my religious symbols with me and all religions r one so they all need to coexist or desist

Rev. Henry

This decision is obscene. Then again, the GOP-dominant Supreme Court is obscene. They are not interested in religious freedom, unless it is one they recognize. No matter that Native American religions pre-date the white man's arrival in this country. We have spent hundreds of years trying to erase Native American culture. It's past time we recognize we are not the beginning and end of civilization.

Regina Ewing

The Supreme Court no longer upholds values across the board as an entity of common person values. They are brazen, self interested, greedy and think they have lifetime jobs to blast away freedoms and politicize the court. If it is fair for one set of people and we have this right in the constitution (religious freedom ) then that applies to ALL THE PEOPLE..... not just the ones THEY HAND PICK. THEY BLATANTLY SHOW THEIR GREED AND AVARICE.. GREED, FAVORS TO THE RICH. THE OLIGARCHS, THE GREEDY, THE RICH AND THE CONNECTED RUN THE GOVERNMENT NOW. That's it!!!!

Warren Calvin Wall

Research the history of the treatment of conquered people around the world. All through human history, the people of conquered lands, pretty much all lands, have had their property, religions and liberties trampled. Basically for the whole existence of Homo sapiens sapiens. Entire nations and cultures have been completely eliminated by conquerors. Genocide of ethnicities and cultures are a common theme amongst conquerors, not the rarity that most would have you believe. It is still in regular practice this very day around the world. Now, consider that the primary reason for the conquering other lands and people is for the natural resources available. This situation is no different. Conquered people are having their religion trampled in the name of natural resources. Nothing has changed and it's not likely to anytime in the near future. Don't get me wrong, I do not condone the selling of this land at all. Especially to a foreign nation. I'm simply pointing out that it's the nature of the beast.

Walter J. Holbrook

This country only cares of it self ego

James Philip Reader

SCOTUS has been co-opted by the Christian Nationalists - a misnomer if ever there was one - as there is nothing 'Christian' about them except their name. They are offended by the Sermon on the Mount and believe the Prince of Peace would tote firearms and vote Republican. If Christ returns, he will know them not.

Ronaldo

This land is not owned by any Apache tribe. It is owned by the federal government as part of a national park, but it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. We, the People, should be writing to Congress demanding that our history be properly preserved, and not sold off for a few dollars profit, especially to a foreign company. I'll send my letter to my elected officials today regarding this matter. I hope a lot of people will join me in that.

Cam Kirmser

Who owns the title?

If the Apaches own the title, the answer is simple; don't sell.

If someone else owns the title, the answer is, again, simple; Apaches can outbid the Australian company and buy the land themselves. Then, they can do what they wish with it.

Personally, I am not a fan of any foreign company being allowed to own land in the US. All US land should have a US citizen as an owner from whom a foreign interest could rent the land, but never own it.

James C Clements

It is absolutely not fair while they promote their religious so-called project 2025 on these United States they desecrate a holy sight for the Apache Indians I think that the American Indians should do everything they possibly can to thwart this.

Ari Joseph Bertine

The Supreme Court is coming very close to proving that they are irreparably compromised and can no longer be trusted. They need to be dismantled and rebuilt in such a way that politics cannot invade them in any form. Our government has become an oligarchy, and will always prioritize profits for the individuals holding offices, and we need to inoculate the country's load-bearing structures against that.

I hope that the Apaches' lawyer prevails, but I think that all of us who see how wrong this is should take whatever steps we can within the law and the means of our faiths to help. Pray, donate, write, bless, hex, whatever it is that you are ordained and able to do. They are sorely outnumbered and have been deliberately deprived of agency and resources, and cannot do this without assistance.

James Adrian Kromwall

I am an old white man who has served this country in the Army and civil service. I am ashamed of what this country has turned into. I stand firmly with the Apache people and pray they are successful in this battle.

John Robert Peters

The truth is that Native Americans are not considered human much less citizen. Historically anytime it was expeditious to break a treaty it was done, for gold, for land, for the hell of it. This is no different and truthfully, it is likely that if oil or gold was found under St. Patrick's Cathedral or the National Cathedral the GOP/Trumpistas would condemn the property and grant the mining/drilling rights to some pet corporation accepting the thankful kickback in campaign funds. Indigenous people have rights that are not respected, beliefs that are not granted respect and dignity, and needs that are dismissed. Recall that this administration has been busily erasing all monuments, web pages, and recognition of indigenous heros (Ira Hayes, Navaho Talkers, MOH winners, etc). Of course as a non-sectarian group of supremacists fascists, they are also erasing the same for women and people of color, women, and anyone who speaks a non-English language. I recall the declaration in Animal Farm: All animals are created equal, but some are more equall than others. May God have mercy.

Elizabeth Allyn Smith

This is heartbreaking. I’m a privileged white woman who is ashamed of the way our forefathers have treated the first nation people going back centuries. Where are the rights of the indigenous? I am so sick and tired of the belief in white supremacy. All of the greed, all of the decimation of our planet, to what end? The native people show a respect for mother Earth that cannot be matched. This is shameful.

Tom Herman

There is nothing about this administration or this Supreme Court that surprises me when it comes to graft. The WASPS care only about their God, the almighty buck.

Dori Mondon

This is appalling, and how many times has the US done this to religious sites and burial grounds! Countless. And especially now that the "Christian" faith is being pushed out as what defines this country, things like this matter to the Mango Mussolini even less, since their "Christian" principles only apply if you are white and straight and firmly believe in the cult of Americakkka. Shameful.

Jerry A Stilwell Jr

The federal government looks at dollars not religion. Same as covid vans. They made them pharmacies had to sell. So government makes a law to enforce vaccinations. One thing for sure government will not or cannot ever control conscience. I will pray for the tribe to have the right. It doesn't matter which religion it is but they should and do have the right to practice it.

Kenneth Edwards II

native holy sites need to remain undisturbed and under their control

Susan Sklodowsky

One again Native Americans are being pushed off their land. When will it stop. They need more protection Now then ever. I am not Native but I will stand with them. They need us all to help. I am sick to my stomach thinking that once again they are taking from this group of loving people. They know the true meaning of taking care of our earth and all she gives us. They listen to all she says and will protect her to the very end. I for one how the up most respect for these people. Stay strong and fight on.

Joseph Grieco

Ever since Spain established St. Augustine and England established Jamestown, the rights of Indigenous People in the United States haven't been worth the paper they were written on. Once the Supreme Court gets involved, it will be even worse. Why? Because the Conservatives on the Court have repeatedly implied that if something doesn't represent the Christian Majority, the 1st Amendment doesn't apply. And it isn't just that this will be a copper mine. It's that the mine will effectively destroy the ecosystem, and poison the land. Now, it doesn't matter to them what happens to the Apache, but you can guarantee that the first time it impacts the ground water of some GOP donating rancher downstream, all hell will break loose! Then, after Ted Cruz conveniently boards a plane to some part of the world on vacation, Greg Abbott or Dan Patrick will appear on TV and promise retribution against the Apache Nation for allowing this mine to be put on their lands (over tribal opposition) and demand the Apache pay the ranchers for the damage the mine they fought against having has caused.

Harley Oden Miller

First of all I am native American and that's ****** up, second organized religion is not the only religions on earth native Americans and any other culture has the right to practice their own way of religion outside of what anyone else wants and that's not fair to anyone on this planet because we all celebrate God in a different way so oppress what is sacred to native Americans is wrong and why are kids being taught LGBTIQ in school anyways that is more for high school or adults let kids be kids i am not against any community but kids a precious and they should learn to be kids this society is getting twisted into a level of darkness but anyways fight for our right to party. and nobody should give up anything that is of tradition or that is sacred period. If God created all of us come as you are not as others should think you should be and he created all religions then why this is even happening its wrong and totally messed up. Organized religion is for brain wash period. it doesnt matter if your born in anyway god loves us all the same. and christians believe their are other gods and any statue is thats culture of how they see god.

Mervyn Ritter

Mining companies just trample over indigenous people and do not care about sacred sites . They blow them up and then say sorry and rape the land. It happens constantly in Australia. Mining companies need to be controlled and not do what ever they want. I feel the pain

James Riggle-Johnson

Native Americans and their lands have always been treated as disposable in the face of the U.S. government's will. This is the same story that started the moment our ancestors set foot on these shores: 'It’s ours now—and yours no longer.'

I’m not surprised by the attitude of the Australian company, either. They’ve done the same to Aboriginal people on their own continent—profit first, people last. I think it's a smart move to bring this back to court under the argument of religious freedom. And it raises a very pointed question: Whose religion, exactly, gets protected in America? If the courts uphold Christianity at every turn but ignore Native spiritual traditions, then it's not religious freedom—it’s religious favoritism.

Our history is full of broken promises to Indigenous people. We took their land, relocated them to reservations, and then took even that when it was convenient. We didn’t just steal their land—we’ve repeatedly tried to erase their culture and beliefs. This isn’t just about a mining project. It’s about whether Native Americans ever truly get to practice their religion without being told where and when it’s acceptable.

Barbara Harris

For the last several hundred years the tribes have been pushed aside for the greed of the European influx. Some tribes have been wiped from the face of the earth because of this greed. Blankets, infected with small pox, were given by missionaries to several tribes in the West, leading to near eradication of the tribes. Gold in the Black Hills, rich farm land in Georgia and the Carolinas and the theft goes on.

The Killers of the Flower Moon details the murdering of Osage women by the white men who married them so their oil rights could be stolen. The Osage men also were also murdered. I know people in Tulsa who had family who survived those times.

For the Supreme Court to remove this challenge from the docket is more of the evil that has been dished out since the first Europeans landed. For once Gorsuch stood up. We all need to stand up to protect these sacred lands of the Apache.

Nicholas J Page

Unbelievable I'm an English man why do they want to decimate a religious ground that has been around for thousands of years. I totally agree that the Native Indian s should be allowed to keep their sacred and holy site just because money is involved leave them be.

Clive Hessing

This is a Tribal dispute and belongs to Ecclesiastical court.

Robert Gagnon

This is the same government that wiped out the buffalo to starve the Indians into submission. Reservations were never on prime property and they've violated promises when ever anything of value is found where they are located. Native Americans have always been an inconvenience to our government. They had a good thing going with gambling to take care of their people, even that has been usurped. Why don't they have mineral rights? Because they never gave anything that couldn't be taken away if any value was found.

Douglas Robert Spindler

Manifest Destiny is alive and well and continues to this day. Natives were here with their religion and Gods until the white European's brought their 2,000 year old Christian cult with one god.

Elizabeth Jane Erbe Wilcox

How incredibly sad is this? Why do we continue to hurt and harm our Native American brothers and sisters? Are they not the authentic, true, and original inhabitants of the United States?

Dan Anderson

Most U.S. Americans do not know about or have bothered to learn about the Native American cultures. The concept of respect for all things around you is missing with 'us 'Muricans' and that causes a rift between the different cultures. When one learns about the deeply spiritual beliefs and actions in the Native American lifestyles, one just might be able to comprehend why life is sacred, not just the wallet and the car you drive.

Colleen McAllister

This is wrong. This is more than a religious matter. Would the court be ok with putting an ugly mine in the middle of Central Park? How about digging up Mount Vernon? Or Temple Square in Salt Lake City? Who knows. Money is the deciding factor here. The present government couldn't care less about religion — unless it is theirs. Native Americans have little say in this because our government does not care to listen.

Reverend Paula Copp

This “administration” (regime) is only concerned about making the rich more wealthy, so religion isn’t important when there’s money to be made. The 🍊🐥🌮 doesn’t care about any religion other than grift, so, since the Apache religion cannot get him any money, he, and therefore the “high” court, doesn’t care. They’d rather turn a sacred site into a copper mine. Obscene!

Melinda Fulk

The US has never cared about anything related to the Native Americans unless it was convenient or there was money to be made. But having this happen in this day and age really sickens me. This isn't just something as simple as tearing down a church or something. It is THE sacred site of the Apache. That would be like blasting parts of Jerusalem. (Also, I never thought I'd agree with Gorsuch on ANYTHING.)

Najah P Tamargo

Najah Tamargo-USA

The Native Peoples of this country have had their sacred sites decimated since the arrival of the Eurpeans. One big example- Mt. Rushmore. Their belief systems have been around for thousands of years BEFORE the arrival of Christ. It is, as are these sites, their foundation of those beliefs. I find it repugnant, arrogant, and greedy! They have the absolute RIGHT to protect their sacred sites. My hopes and prayers are with THEM! They have suffered thru genocide, relocation and stolen lands. They SHOLD NOT have these sites destroyed just to make others rich!!