I continue to be interested in the conversation around religious liberty. Those on the right argue that religious freedom has been curtailed in recent years by liberals who suggest that government sponsored public forums should be religiously neutral. For example there are those who lament that teachers and coaches cannot pray publicly at school or that public schools are restricted from celebrating Christmas. I recently ran across a survey that helps bring this issue into focus. A survey by the National Opinion Research Center for Public Affairs Research and the Associated Press found that 82 percent called religious liberty important for Christians, but only 72 percent felt it was important for Jews, 67% for Mormons, and only 61% felt it was important to protect religious freedom for Muslims.
(Check this link for a Washington Post Editorial)
Does this then suggest that not all of us truly want a nation that supports religious freedom? Rather, it appears that what we really want is the personal freedom to express our beliefs but we don't want to hear from those who have different beliefs. We speak of freedom but it is not freedom if it is only granted the majority class. That is theocracy - the opposite of freedom.
A commitment to religious freedom entails protecting the freedom of those whose beliefs are not in the majority. A commitment to religious freedom recognizes that my views, whether in the majority or not, should not be forced on children whose families may have a different story, a different culture, a different faith.
Lets be clear about whether we are committed to religious freedom - or whether we simply want the right to practice our faith while ignoring or denying the rights of others.
