The liberty principle for this
Freedom Friday concerns freedom of religion. A symposium on religion and
inclusion was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 14, 2019. Tim Schultz
delivered the keynote address.
Schultz said that both Republicans
and Democrats “fail religious freedom” in different ways. According to Kelsey
Dallas at Deseret News, Schultz said
that the “political rights is often guilty of ignoring the needs of religious
minorities, while the political left can act as if Muslims, Sikhs, Jews and
Hindus are the only people of faith who need to be protected.”
Schultz began his remarks by looking to
the recent past, when religious freedom was much less controversial.
In 1993, LGBTQ rights and religious
freedom advocates, Republicans and Democrats, joined together to pass new
federal protections for faith groups. As recently as 2013, similar measures
passed state legislatures with strong bipartisan support.
In the last five years, that
"kumbaya" spirit turned into "kumba-nah," he said, noting
"there's a great deal of suspicion and animosity around religious
freedom."
"Now it's scare-quoted in headlines
and referred to as 'so-called religious freedom,'" Schultz said…..
Schultz remains focused on the political
sphere, and thinks both Republicans and Democrats should reform their ways. The
political left needs to recognize the value faith groups bring to society,
while the political right needs to show that religious freedom is about more
than side-stepping LGBTQ nondiscrimination laws.
There is no reason why Americans of
all faiths or no faith cannot learn to get along. We need to be tolerant of
other people and their beliefs, but we must understand that tolerance should go
both ways. No one should be denied a job or housing because of religious belief
or sexual orientation just as they should not be denied because of race or age.
On the other hand, religious people should not be forced to use their creative
abilities – baking, photography, floral arrangements, artwork, etc. – to do
anything that goes against their conscience. I am grateful to know that groups
of people, such as those attending this symposium, are attempting to solve the
problems concerning religious freedom.
No comments:
Post a Comment