Our Bill of Rights guarantees us many important rights. There are two that are very subtly under fire right now, and if we lose them, we may lose the whole thing. The fact that we’re not reacting to this attack suggests we either don’t know or don’t care about the freedoms our armed forces are fighting to protect.
I am talking about an all out attack on people of faith. You only have to watch the news to see these attacks. Atheists are attacking our symbols, our speech and our actions. Let’s take a look at the Bill of Rights, shall we?
We are guaranteed the right *of* freedom of religion. We are not guaranteed a right *from* it. That means
1) Attacking a cross on a hill overlooking a freeway is in direct violation of this amendment. 2) Attacking the Ten Commandments because it’s somewhere someone might actually read it is a violation of the amendment. 3) Telling a child in public school he or she can’t read the Bible is in violation of the amendment 4) Banning Christian Christmas music at the mall is in violation of the amendment.
Do you see where I’m going? All of us have the freedom to choose what we believe. We are also guaranteed the right to freedom of expression. Guess what? That means we can
1) Talk about religion in a public place if we so desire. 2) Wear jewelry, shirts, etc. that have religious symbols or words. 3) Place religious symbols on our property. 4) Sing or play the type of music we enjoy.
Naturally, all rights come with responsibilities. Cramming these rights down the throats of others is one. I am just as offended as the next person when someone gets in my face about their version of Christianity.
I dislike being told I will burn in the afterlife if I do or don’t do this or that thing. None of us should have to put up with this kind of behavior nor should we engage in it. We can discuss our differences politely, but judgment isn’t Mankind’s department.
The bigger point I’m trying to make is that once we demolish these two freedoms, the rest will follow. We stand to lose far more than our freedoms of expression and religion in this. We could lose our right of assembly, the free press, search and seizure rights…all of them.
Do we really want to continue down this path?