"Religious Liberty," What Does it Mean


Today I came across two different people who use the words "religious liberty." They are both quite amusing.

The first was on front page of our local paper, the Des Moines Register. It was about a rural legislator in the Iowa State House of Representatives. The legislator's last name is Sherman. He regularly sends of a political mailing called "Sherman's Liberty Letter." The one sent out just a couple of days ago was an angry rant about the State Capital. 

To understand the rant, we can start about five years ago when a wealthy Christian somewhere in the U.S. decided it would be clever to manufacture 50 large manager scenes. He found someone in most states willing the receive the manufactured Mary, Joeseph and wise men and make a request at their state capitals to display them over the Holidays. This was quite successful, governors around the country spoke at the opening of the manager displays in their Capitals.

Predictably, this was met by determination among secular groups to put their own displays in the same Capitals buildings. Freedom From Religion Foundation and local atheist groups now have displays as well. 

But, it was the newest display that set off Representative Sherman. The Satanic Temple requested and was granted permission to put a display in the Capital which included a likeness of Satan. Sheman's "Liberty Letter" demanded the Satanic display be removed. He used the argument it was offensive. The Constitution meant for Christianity to be displayed, not Satan. We know Satan is God's enemy, he wrote, because it says so in the Bible. Liberty, apparently, applies to religion in only limited ways.

The other was the story of the Chair of the Republican Party in Florida. He was removed from his post as Chair when he spoke of a sexual threesome. Now, his wife is in trouble. She was a founding member of One Million Moms for Liberty who railed at books the mentioned sex. This work made her popular enough to be elected to a local school board. The Moms for Liberty are for sexual purity and religious liberty. Now, the defrocked Republican Chairs wife, part of the threesome, has been removed from both  Moms for Liberty and the school board.  

Religious Liberty seems to mean different things to different people.

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