Legal Standing Declaration - Thousandsunscme

Legal Protections of Our Faith & Practice

Thousand Suns Church of Mother Earth Inc. (TSCME)

Thousand Suns Church of Mother Earth stands under the full protection of U.S. Constitutional Law, Federal Statutes, State Law, and International Human Rights Declarations. We are a 508(c)(1)(A) Faith-Based Organization (FBO), Tribal Religious Institution, and Indigenous Spiritual Assembly.

The following statutes, precedents, and declarations uphold our unalienable right to exist, practice, and serve through Earth-based ceremony, Indigenous medicine, and sovereign spiritual expression.

1. Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)

42 U.S.C. Chapter 21B, §2000BB

Protects religious exercise from government interference, even if the law is neutral in intent.
Requires the government to demonstrate a compelling interest and use the least restrictive means when burdening religious practice.
Provides a legal defense for faith-based ceremonies, sacraments, and ministerial actions.

2. State Religious Freedom Restoration Acts

Example: Missouri Revised Statutes §1.302

(Include other states if applicable)

Affirms that religious conduct is protected whether central or peripheral to doctrine.
Government must prove a compelling reason for any restriction and act with minimal burden.
Strengthens defense against local overreach in zoning, health codes, and ceremonial practices.

3. American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA) + 1994 Amendments

Public Law 95-341 & 103-344

Guarantees the right to practice traditional Native American religions without interference.
Specifically protects the ceremonial use of sacred sacraments (e.g., Peyote, Grandfather Cactus, Sacred Mushrooms).
Prohibits federal and state penalties for religious possession, transport, or use of Indigenous sacraments.
Mandates that government agencies consult with tribal leaders before imposing restrictions affecting religious practices.

4. Supreme Court Precedents

Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente União do Vegetal (2006): Affirmed religious groups’ right to sacramental use of controlled substances under RFRA protections.
The Boyll Decision: Recognized sacramental protections for Native American Churches outside of federally recognized tribes.
These cases establish a judicial precedent safeguarding our ceremonies and religious sacraments from criminalization.

5. Providers’ Declaration of Ninth Amendment Rights

TSCME Practitioners and Members assert their Ninth Amendment right to choose personal religious healthcare, ceremonies, and sacramental practices.
This includes the inalienable right to bodily sovereignty and freedom from coerced medical interventions.

6. International Declarations of Indigenous Rights

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIPS): Upholds Indigenous peoples' right to maintain cultural, spiritual, and medicinal practices.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 18): Protects freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, including practice and observance.
WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy: Recognizes the integral role of Indigenous traditional medicine in global health systems.

7. Definitions & Scope of Protection

“Religious Exercise” is defined as any act of faith—whether ceremonial, ministerial, educational, or medicinal.
Land Use & Ceremonial Grounds: Federal law prohibits zoning or land-use ordinances that unjustly burden religious assemblies.
Ministers, Sacraments, Teachings, and Healing Practices of TSCME are protected expressions of religious exercise.

8. Our Legal Standing

Recognized as a 508(c)(1)(A) Faith-Based Organization (FBO) with automatic tax-exempt status.
Protected under RFRA, AIRFA, State Religious Freedom Laws, and Constitutional Rights.
Holds the authority to invoke these protections in judicial proceedings, regulatory matters, and ceremonial contexts.
Operates under tribal sovereignty and ecclesiastical jurisdiction, with international human rights alignment.

Declaration of Sacred Sovereignty

“We stand in full faith, full freedom, and full protection—rooted in the sacred law of Earth and Spirit, and shielded by the spiritual, constitutional, and international laws of this land. Our ceremonies, sacraments, and sovereign bodies are not subject to coercion, but protected as living embodiments of divine law.”

“This document is a living declaration. It evolves as the sacred rights of Indigenous, Faith-Based, and Sovereign communities continue to be affirmed through both spiritual law and legal precedent.”