“Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” On March 4, 1789, those words became the supreme law of this land and the world was changed forever—for the better. For the first time in history a nation recognized, in the strongest way possible, the God-given right to freedom of religion. Almost over night, the United States of America became that shining city on hill—a place where oppressed people from all over the world came for refuge. It would be safe to say that without freedom of religion, there would be no United Sates of America. As Americans we enjoy a number of God-given rights, but without the first amendment freedom to choose to follow or not follow God as we see fit—without that freedom—none of our other rights matter very much.
Reach into your pocket and pull out a coin. Read the words, “In God We Trust,” and realize that no other nation on earth has those words as its official national motto.
There is a reason that tyrants, dictators, and those who want to oppress free people always go after freedom of religion first. They know that faith in God sets men free. It’s as old as the passage in the Bible that says “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and don’t to be subject to the yoke of slavery.” That freedom wasn’t free then and it is not free today. When we get up on Sunday morning and decide to attend or not attend church services, most of us forget about those who died in battle to make that simple freedom of choice possible.
Every generation has to stand up for its freedom and that’s why we’re here today. It seems that someone always wants to silence the voices of faith. Children in America should never be told that it is illegal for them to pray over their lunch at school, but it happens. A worker should never be told that he or she can’t bring a Bible into their workplace, but it happens. People of faith should not be excluded from using public buildings, meeting in public places or organizing clubs, but it happens. Not long ago, a judge in Maumelle was forced to remove the Ten Commandments from his courtroom wall. Not many years ago, our state’s beautiful nativity display sat on this very spot every Christmas, but not any more.
There is a war on religious freedom. It is an assault on people of faith. As people who cherish freedom for all people of all faiths, we can run from the fight or we can run to the fight. One way or the other, this generation will decide if religious freedom is something we continue to practice or something we just remember fondly.
