Critical Issue #4 - Religious Liberty

Religious Freedom

Religious freedom has long been understood to be foundational to a free society. America’s founders recognized the fundamental importance of religious freedom as an inalienable right from God, and enshrined its protection in the First Amendment. All the other enumerated rights flow from that fundamental freedom.

The Problem

Our founders knew that our newly formed Republic would survive only as long as a religious and moral people upheld it. And yet, over the past several decades, our nation’s moral underpinnings have been sliding away from its Judeo Christian roots. In recent years, this struggle for America’s soul has reached a fever pitch and freedom of religion is under attack by secular forces. Consider these examples:

• The so-called “separation of church and state” is being used to justify suppressing public expressions of faith in schools, in the workplace, and in the community.
• In public universities, Bible-believing students are ridiculed, Christian teachers are forced out, and our nation’s history is rewritten to eliminate our heritage of faith.
• Christians who seek to operate their businesses consistent with their beliefs are labeled as bigots, and threatened with fines or even jail time.

The Solution

The First Amendment declares that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ….” Religious liberty encompasses the freedom to believe, speak, and peacefully live consistent with one’s beliefs. When a government invades this arena, it demonstrates it will not hesitate to restrict other freedoms. Accordingly, we must not compromise this most sacred, God-given freedom. On the contrary, we the people must demand that our government officials aggressively safeguard religious freedom for all its citizens.

Take Action

We must advocate for our fundamental freedoms with every ounce of our strength and determination. We cannot remain silent when vicious and raucous mobs or political agents seek to cancel what we hold most dear.

First and foremost, continue to live out biblical family values in your homes, your schools, your places of business, and your community. Our duty as Christians is first and foremost to be faithful to the Word of God, regardless of the consequences.

Second, learn about the political party platforms. As citizens and as Christians, we need to be “salt and light” in our nation by advocating for sound policy and by voting for those who support it.