What is the state of religious freedom in America 2016?

This nation was founded on the principle of religious freedom. Scores of immigrants made their way to these shores in order to worship God according to the dictates of their consciences. Each one of the original 13 colonies had their own religious flavor, although all were some variant of Christianity. It is clear that, while religious freedom is core to who we are as a nation, we can also say with some certainty that the Christian Faith has historically been the predominant religion in America. This is not to say that other religions should not be allowed or represented in this country -- they should be -- but we should acknowledge that, most of the time, when our elected officials have a prayer, it is likely a Christian prayer. Or when a public school opens a function with prayer, it is very likely from a Christian perspective.

This is not thought of as unusual by those practicing the Christian religion but certainly could be by those of other persuasions or by those who are not religious or who are openly antagonistic to the very idea of religion. We see that atheists are much more active in society than in times past and that their agenda includes driving religion out of the public sphere as much as possible. This has even come to our community as the Freedom From Religion Foundation has pressured our public school officials to stop offering pubic prayers at school functions. I can appreciate that fighting such pressure is a no-win situation since the courts have almost always sided with the anti-prayer forces.

But I am also mindful of our forefathers who were ordered to stop practicing their religious convictions in various European countries before coming to America. We need to remember that, in the beginning of our nation, most of those who immigrated to our shores came here to escape religious persecution. They were seeking a place where they could worship God as they saw fit. Many of them faced the possibility of jail or even execution in the countries where they were residing. This persecution was fomented by the state churches in those countries as they endeavored to force everyone to adhere to their views of religion. But Christians have always resisted being told how to worship.

History has a way of repeating itself. Religious oppression comes in many guises. This week America is celebrating the anniversary of our nation's freedom from Great Britain. Our forefathers put their lives on the line to win freedom for themselves, their families and their fellow countrymen. Theirs was not an easy road, but the opportunity to live out their own convictions was a powerful motivator. When the founding fathers put their names to the Declaration of Independence, they knew they were putting their lives in jeopardy. As one of them, Benjamin Franklin famously said, "We must all hang together or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately."

British authorities were determined to thwart these rebellious upstarts before they could organize an effective resistance to British authority. In spite of this, the colonists were victorious. We believe God was with our forefathers and that He blessed the establishment of this nation under God where liberty and justice would be applied to all without respect to persons.

While it has been an ongoing experiment in freedom and has had its own share of hypocrisy and cruelty, our form of government by the people, for the people and of the people has been a city set on a hill for the rest of humanity. For many around the world today, coming to America represents their highest aspirations. We have much to be thankful for, but what are we willing to sacrifice in order to preserve our freedoms?

Sam Byrnes is a Gentry-area resident and weekly contributor to the Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.

Editorial on 07/06/2016