Religious Freedom

• “On my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer I stayed there, the more I perceived the great political consequences resulting from this new state of things. In France I had almost always seen the spirit of religion and the spirit of freedom marching in opposite directions. But in America I found they were intimately united and that they reigned in common over the same country.”

- Alexis de Tocqueville Democracy in America (1830s)

Freedom “of and from” religion is one of the most basic tenets underlying our entire system of government. Without the freedom to worship according to the dictates of our own conscience, our freedom would be a mockery.

The two decisions handed down last week by the Supreme Court are perfect examples of how difficult it is to adequately delineate the proper boundaries between church and state. When de Tocqueville traveled through America he was struck by how closely Americans associated religion and freedom. The opposite seems to be true today. If you believe much of what you hear from political commentators, religion and freedom are now at odds with one another.

For the most part, it seems that people have a negative reaction to “religious” politicians. Religion is now seen as something that complicates, rather than clarifies, a person’s political beliefs. A politician who makes reference to religion in a speech about abortion would surely be labeled a “zealot”. However, look at the following passage:

“If God wills that (the war) continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn by the lash shall be paid for by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said ‘the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether.’”

This passage was taken from Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address. How is it that our nation can look at Abraham Lincoln and say that his uncompromising moral stance (based in huge part upon his religious beliefs) against slavery was so admirable, and at the same time decry modern politicians with strong religious beliefs?

I agree with the decisions made by the Supreme Court last week, but I think that as a nation we need to take a step back and realize that our very existence is inextricably linked to the strong religious beliefs of our Founding Fathers. Perhaps if more people on both sides looked back at the writings of our past leaders, they would be better able to deal with this issue.