In Theory: Is religious liberty under attack?

A recent poll has discovered that the majority of Americans don’t think religious liberty is under attack. The Public Religion Research Institute’s survey found that 56% of those questioned thought their religious freedoms are not threatened, compared to 39% who felt they are.

On the whole, religious groups don’t think freedom of religion is under threat. Those who do feel threatened are mainly conservatives and evangelicals, according to the poll. Their definition of “under attack” involves what they see as the removal of God and religion from the public square, government interference in religion, and a basic hostility toward Christianity.

The report says that self-identified liberals believe the separation of church and state is in more danger than the freedom of belief.

Q: Are the majority of respondents correct?

I don’t believe they are. This 56% majority is by no means a great majority. And the 39% who feel their religious rights in America are being threatened actually represents a large number of people. The fact that the number of those who feel they are under attack is smaller does not mean the problem doesn’t exist. I also wonder about the actual beliefs of that 56%. If they believe that other faiths are as true and valid as Christianity, I wouldn’t expect them to be as sensitive to restrictions placed upon Christian practice in public. If they hold to the prevalent understanding of the separation of church and state, they themselves may be hostile to public expressions of Christian faith.

Public acceptance of Jesus Christ and his followers varies from culture to culture, from time to time. But one thing never changes: “Whoever believes may in him have eternal life” (John 3:15).

Pastor Jon Barta
Valley Baptist Church
Burbank

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Yes, I believe the majority of the respondents are correct. And I’m not surprised that the evangelical or conservative minority feels as if they are under attack. In my opinion, we can do just about whatever we want in this country and nobody will bother us. We really do have freedom of religion here, and we have freedom from religion, if we want.

In my view, the way the situation is now is exactly what our forefathers had hoped would happen: We can go to any religious service we want with impunity, and we can also stay home and say, “Humbug!” and nobody will bother us.

Nothing is perfect, but the way things are now is just about perfect, as far as the religious freedom issue is concerned. The religious straitjackets that our spiritual forefathers and foremothers came to America to escape pretty much stayed behind in the Old Country. Yes, some of those who wanted to escape European dominance, whether from church hierarchy or the state, came to the New World in the 17th century and put into place their own rules that others found oppressive. But by the time of the American Revolution in 1776, we were pretty much free from dominance, whether by church or state, and we remain so today. Our founders, I believe, would be very happy with the way we have evolved, as far as religious freedom is concerned.

Before I sign off, I want to share something about George Washington, the father of our country. He liked to smoke his pipe, and he also liked to ride with Martha in the carriage on the way to church on Sundays. Martha attended worship services, but not George. Oh, no. He preferred to stay outside and smoke his pipe.

The Rev. Skip Lindeman
La Cañada Congregational Church
La Cañada

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I agree with the majority of respondents who do not believe that religious liberty is under attack in this country. My experience has shown that government and the general public tend to be very respectful and supportive of religious expression — even in the public sphere, when it is constitutionally permissible.

At the same time, I can understand how 39% of Americans feel that there is a challenge to their religious rights. It’s an unfortunate fact that the few people who take extreme positions regarding the separation of church and state — such as barring the display of a simple Christmas tree or Hanukkah menorah on a public square — tend to be loud and active, giving an impression that they represent the voice of many, when in fact they’re largely isolated in their quest. This relatively small number of individuals creates an atmosphere of negativity and engenders divisiveness by attacking the spiritual sensitivities and age-old customs of hundreds of millions of Americans. Instead of following the doctrine of “live and let live,” they spend millions of taxpayer dollars filing frivolous lawsuits and hauling religious leaders and groups into court.

I believe we have a national obligation to recognize that this country was built on certain powerful principles that enabled it to become the world leader it is today. Among the most important of these ideas is the 1st Amendment, which declares that government is barred from establishing a national religion or favoring one religious group over another. Using this clause to restrict any kind of religious expression in public is, in my opinion, immoral and inappropriate, since it completely negates the intent of our Founding Fathers.

Thankfully, most Americans understand the true meaning of the Establishment Clause and apply it properly and justly, regardless of circumstance. Despite the controversies and flashpoints that occur from time to time, our country generally finds the right balance that promotes freedom of worship and tolerance for all beliefs.

Rabbi Simcha Backman
Chabad Jewish Center
Glendale

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I agree with the majority that were polled that religious liberty is not under threat in the United States.

The Constitution commands that religious practice not be interfered with and that religious tests not be made for political office. We all benefit because no one single faith has taken over this country, as has happened other counties. For this reason, religious freedom is preserved for everyone.

This is an important time to remember what happened to Armenians 97 years ago at the hands of the Muslim-dominated Ottoman Empire.

The best guarantee of religious freedom is the separation of church and state. I am happy to say that religious freedom is not under attack in the United States, and it never will be, as long as we obey the dictates of our Founding Fathers.

Steven Gibson
South Pasadena Atheist Meetup
Altadena

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These polls reflect my observation that freedom to practice religion is not under systematic attack, nor is separation of church and state.

Moreover, the notion that U.S. society displays “hostility toward Christianity” is far-fetched. Mass public displays of belief in God — never Buddha, Allah, Yahweh, Kali, etc. — are rampant.

“God Bless America” seems to be with us permanently at major league baseball games. For fairness, “This Land Is Your Land” or “Lift Every Voice” should be added to the song rotation. I think conservative Christians having to tolerate a secular government is an even trade for the flashbacks to 1950’s black-and-white TV images of Kate Smith I now endure.

And let’s all picture the twisted knickers if, say, a religious group faithfully picked up trash on the freeway and their sign was vandalized repeatedly, as is the fate of the local Atheists United Adopt-A-Highway sign. It is the right to reject religion that is under attack in this case.

Roberta Medford
Atheist
Montrose

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According to recent polls, the belief that religion is under attack in this country seems to depend on what religious beliefs a respondent has, with conservative Christians seeing serious discrimination and progressives believing that the negative impact is minimal.

That being said, I believe we must understand that openness to a wider view of religious beliefs is what needs to be considered. Freedom of religion means freedom for all people, not just the freedom for those with whom we agree. Just because our religious beliefs are not declared as the ones that are given dominance does not mean that our religion is being attacked.

Growing from that understanding is the recognition that we are a country with a diversity of religions. We are Jews and Christians and Unitarian Universalists and Muslims and Hindus and Buddhists and pagans and atheists and agnostics, just to name a few. If we are talking about freedom of religion, we need to support the rights of all the people in our great country.

Nor should we confuse social doctrines with theology. Just because a religious group opposes same-sex marriage or abortion or war or gay rights or the death penalty does not mean that such beliefs must be protected by the idea of freedom of religion. We can’t have it both ways — encouraging freedom for our own beliefs while restricting those of others.

My hope is that we will find a way to honor the religious beliefs of all those in our country while we embody our individual and collective values and as people of faith.

The Rev. Betty Stapleford
Unitarian Universalist Church of the Verdugo Hills
La Crescenta

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Religious liberty is not under attack. The government’s defense of personal freedoms is not an attack on religious freedom. Nor is God removed from the public square by ensuring it remains, well, public — open to the voices of all religions, as well as those of the non-religious. The exercise of your freedom of belief does not threaten mine. It strengthens it.

It’s true that the heretofore assumed supremacy of Christianity in America is being challenged; it’s being brought to its knees, really. And the loss of majority is a difficult thing for us Christians, in many respects. This profession was a lot easier when, to quote a colleague of mine, the culture acted as a dump truck that backed up to the doors of the church and deposited people in the pews every Sunday.

Like every other minister, I bemoan the current competition on Sunday mornings from sports and other events, and sometimes I secretly long for the old Blue Laws that protected the Sabbath day. Oh, but wait — we stole the Sabbath from Judaism, didn’t we, and switched it from Saturday to Sunday, then made it a law that everyone had to follow. Bad bit of business, that.

Anyway, the loss of hegemony is hard for us Christians. And where will it end? First we’ll go back to the days when you couldn’t call this a Christian nation; then we’ll go back to the days before Constantine, before Christianity got into bed with the Empire; and pretty soon Christianity will be nothing but a little band of 12 guys, five loaves and two fishes. Oh, but wait....

The Rev. Amy Pringle
St. George’s Episcopal Church
La Cañada

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Maybe the majority of Americans aren’t concerned about the issue. Lots of people consider themselves Christian just because they were born here, or because mom was, and it’s little to do with any personal faith reality. It’s just a default.

Because of this disconnect, they’re ill-attuned to society’s daily war on religion, since it really has nothing to do with them. They aren’t religious.

Likewise, people often default to cultural-origin religions, e.g. Iranian Americans are Muslims, Chinese Americans are Buddhists, Indian Americans are Hindus — but are they, really? Maybe these people claiming religion do so because it’s expedient and expected. Perhaps religious commitment of the “majority of Americans” is not primarily valued, so subtle attacks upon it probably escape their notice, and thus, concern. Add atheists and agnostics, and religious liberty becomes even more impertinent.

Isn’t it interesting that the group shown to be the greatest religious majority in the country is the very one that feels the most threatened? Makes sense to me. Evangelicals believe it’s a matter of life and death, heaven and hell. We sense encroachments and persecution and hostility, yet we feel we have an all-important message to express that alone saves the aggressors. It’s called the Evangel, or Gospel. And though we comprise a majority religious demographic, we’re minority people in the country at large, and seemingly a soft target for litigation, legislation and relegation.

I’m always amazed that liberal Christians defend government over religion so often. It’s like committing suicide without realizing it. And why liberals? Isn’t it usually their dim view of religious authority? “Sure, the Bible says thus and such, but these are modern times! What was a sin then is a blessing now, and what was a blessing then is a sin now; up with divine input, down with divine edict!” Truth becomes malleable. Is it any wonder that liberals don’t get bent out of shape when their historic faith gets hammered in America?

The Rev. Bryan Griem
Montrose Community Church
Montrose