What Do Professionals in Religious Liberty Say About It


The position of an executive in a religious liberty organization describes and analyzes it differently than most preachers and pundits. The staff attorney for a religious liberty organization warns others talking up "religious liberty" that they will get no where until they acknowledge and respect the religious liberty of all views on religion. He includes those who do not believe in any religion.

The link author wants pastors and others who talk about religious liberty to learn completely the views of others. He wants them to study and converse with this wide variety who have a stake in the outcome. The author makes it clear he is not talking about "universalism" or "multiculturalism" or that they must modify their own religious beliefs.

His carefully thought out views are refreshing to read. I would paraphrase him as saying we are all in this country together. Any concept of religious liberty that takes away the rights of others will not work.

One of his peeves is the same as mine. He wants advocates of religious liberty to stop declaring the founding fathers established a "Christian nation." They clearly did not want to be remembered in this way. There can be no doubt they knew how to write in Christianity as the religion of the United States. Some of them had already done so in state constitutions. They wanted citizens of the United States to practice whatever they desired. By saying "Christian nation" over and over, he says, it becomes questionable whether there is an honest intention to advance religious liberty.

The author did not mention new religions which are now underway whose intent it is to ask for various protections covered by "religious liberties." There are two relatively new Satanist groups who are claiming demonized sins like abortion are a religious ritual that is covered under religious liberty. 

While it would be a good bet these Satanist groups will be unsuccessful for quite a while this does not mean no other groups will fail as well. I'm reminded that in the middle of the hysteria over drug use, American Indians successfully made the case their use of the drug peyote was a religious ritual. My recollection is they prevailed over the anti drug political culture of the time. Abortion and homosexuality may be out there too.  

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