Growing up in a household consisting of an Irish-Catholic mother and Scottish-Presbyterian father, religion and faith was no small matter in my life. I was raised by the stories in the Bible, taught lessons on life from anecdotes of religious history and faith practices. But as I grew older, I began to understand that other people did not live the life I had.
America is a country that is blessed by a diversity among its people and its faiths.
This country was created based on the principle of religious freedom—freedom for people that could not live their faith in the native countries of their birth. At the time of America’s inception, other countries had official religions that often held prejudice over the opposition beliefs. America was to be the safe haven.
Out of the ashes of the Enlightenment came America, a country based upon founding principles of Liberty and Freedom. In the First Amendment, it says boldly that this nation will not endorse any singular religion, but rather it would not prevent anyone from the practice of their own faiths. Toleration was no longer strong enough of a message, America went further. Religious Freedom.
America was (and is) a nation filled by people of faith. But it was not and is not a nation that is to be governed by those faiths. For it is in this nation, that we have the Liberty and the Freedom to live our own faiths. Just as I have the Liberty to live with my faith, others duly have the Freedom to live with the absence of their faiths. This nation was created with an understanding that Faith and Governance should not be mixed. And it seems to me that certain people are pressing ever so loudly to close that gap.
Republican presidential candidate, Rick Santorum, has made many speeches over the past few years stating his belief that there should not be separation of Church and State. And yet, he so ferociously states that “government shouldn't be dictating to people what they do.” How then, can a man distinguish between the right of the government to tell its citizens that they cannot have equality in marriage, women’s rights to choice, and this whole business of Contraception Gate (whether birth control pills should be mandated on health care coverage)?
I am a Christian man, but I am also an ardent supporter of the founding principles from that this country was created. Liberty. Freedom. Equality. I believe strongly in my faith, but it is not to me to force others onto my path. Whether homosexuality is a sin or not, does not cede proof that they are not to enjoy the same Rights as any other citizen. Marriage is an Inalienable Right that all people deserve. And it is not to me to tell others whom they should marry, whether I personally believe in it or not. I cannot be blind to the obvious fact that this country is filled with people that do not share my beliefs, and as such, it should not be governed by the standards of my faith. It cannot be that my beliefs supersede those of another. It is antagonistic to the principles from which this country was founded.
In the light of recent events in the news, I am reminded of the story in John 8: 4-7
When a woman was brought to Jesus, condemned for her adultery, her condemners reminded Jesus that according to the Law of Moses, she must be stoned to death. And they ask him what he thought…
After a pause, Jesus answered.
“He, who is among you that is without sin, may cast the first stone.”
Slowly the men disbursed, the Elders before the rest.
Rush Limbaugh, this is a message to you, sir. That when a woman speaks out for her right to choose how she lives her life, let one who is without sin be the first to cast out names at her. She has the right to live her life by her own beliefs, as you do with yours. If birth control is mandated to be with all government health insurance offerings, that does not force all women to take it, but only just allows for those who wish to take the option. It is the woman’s right to choose. And she should be able to choose for such without being called a “slut” or “prostitute” by someone that is surely not pure.
God teaches us that it is not for us to judge, but only for God alone. Those that judge cannot be any better than the one that is being judged.
This nation’s principles on religious freedom must also recognize the freedom of not having religion. As others cannot force us to believe in another’s religion, so too must we not force non-believers to adopt our beliefs. This nation was built on a morality that transcends the lines of faiths, and we must remember this—that all people have the Right to Liberty and Freedom, to live their lives as they see fit, so long as no harm be done to anyone else.
Whether homosexuals get married, a woman chooses to have an abortion, or to take birth control—these are not issues that bring harm to me or anyone else. But to bring a nation into war, to allow tax systems to widen the disparity between rich and poor, to maintain raising tuition rates while cutting funding to students seeking higher education… these are the issues that harm others—countering the teachings of Jesus Christ.
