To the Editor:
Many countries guarantee religious freedom. Through the sacrifice offered by military service men and women, the United States has sustained a right of religious freedom from the beginning. When we hear a political candidate say: “Today, religious liberty is under attack!” My reaction is WHAT?
In taking an inventory of the current affairs in my life, there’s no indication of any threat or attack on my praying privately or publicly. My donations to the church are still tax deductible. I can speak about Jesus in public; I did a few weeks ago in the grocery store. I have not been arrested or harassed while going to or from church.
Furthermore, I follow legislative news via newspapers and national networks like CNN. Nothing on the radar says my Catholic faith is under attack by the Ku Klux Klan or legislative action in Iowa or Washington D.C.
Perhaps fear-mustering politicians are building mountains out of an ant hill. What are these politicians referring to as threats to religious freedom? One politician here or there may say “God’s plan is for Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” Reality check, the church is not being forced to perform same-sex marriages.
Another politician spreads fear that government is menacing our church through health care mandates. Cannot the person being offered a job with the church first be told that a condition of employment is not to use any medical treatment that conflicts with church practice? If you agree, sign here and you are hired.
When I am threatened for praying for my family, for rain to make a crop or praising the Lord for all the blessings bestowed or I detect a sinister response for attending church, then I will be alarmed. Meanwhile, follow the news. Scare tactics are in some politicians’ bag of tricks.
John Clayton
Grinnell
