"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 5:32). “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 5:36).

Religious freedom is the right to worship God after the dictates of one’s own heart. This is a basic American freedom, and it is one on which our great country was founded. It does not require consensus or agreement. We Americans do not consider it to be a gift or a privilege. It is a right guaranteed by the United States Constitution.

Given these facts, you would think religious liberty would be a “no-brainer” here in “the land of the free, and the home of the brave.” But that is not the case. Our right to worship as we choose, and to live out Biblical precepts as we believe them, must be guarded jealously and defended vigorously whenever and wherever we see those rights about to be trampled underfoot.

I am greatly disturbed by the religious who would curtail the religious rights of any who do not agree with their particular brand of fundamentalism or Biblical interpretation. Jimmy Carter, a former United States president, quotes a fundamentalist in his recent book, Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis: “Since I am aligned with God, I am superior and my beliefs should prevail, and anyone who disagrees with me is inherently wrong, and the next step is inherently inferior.” He goes on to say “that tendency has created, throughout the world, intense religious conflicts.”

We should forever insist that separation of church and state must continue to be the watchword here, and call into account any in our government who would force religious subservience or enact laws to restrict free religious expression. Although we believe the day is coming when the religious freedom we now enjoy will be lost, that day is not quite yet. Let us pray and work fervently to preserve the rights of all to worship God in peace and freedom.