What is the distinction between the right to believe in a particular religion and the right to practice practice as you wish?

Answer 1

First, in America and other countries where there is freedom of religion, no religion is treated specially nor are members of that faith given privileges that minority faiths do not receive. For example, there may be a majority who are Christian, but the government is not run by Christian doctrines-- it is secular or neutral, and everyone of every faith (and those who are non-believers too) will receive equal treatment under the law. In countries like the United States, there is thus not only freedom to believe but also freedom to practice: some Americans attend church, others attend synagogue, or mosque, or Hindu temple, or a place that is more grounded in philosophy than in religion. The government does not tell people what to believe, nor does it tell them how they should practice their faith.

It was not always like that, however. At some times in history, the members of certain faiths had to hide their practice-- they could believe in their home or in secret, but if they tried to worship publicly, they were persecuted. This still occurs in some countries that have an "official" or "established" religion, or in countries that are theocracies, where no dissent from the official religion is allowed. Thus, one may believe in Christianity in Saudi Arabia, for example, but publicly wearing a cross or trying to preach about Christianity would be forbidden.

To sum up, the right to believe is personal and private; the right to practice as you wish is more public. It means you are free to attend the house of worship you choose, or not attend; you are free to celebrate your holidays or ignore them. And for the most part, the government does not interfere with whatever your beliefs and practices, unless those beliefs in some way violate local laws. (To cite one example: some faiths, notably Santeria, practice animal sacrifice, which is not allowed in certain jurisdictions. One is free to believe in Santeria, and to attend worship services. But some practices might be considered problematic in some parts of the country.) Overall, however, most people in a country with freedom of worship are in fact able to both believe in the tenets of their faith and to observe the traditions and practices of that faith.