The Free Exercise Thereof

I am a Christian. Admittedly, I am not a good Christian, and I am not particuarly religious. But religion and Christianity, in spite of what many people think, are not synonymous.

One can usually tell if someone is Christian by their use or misuse of the two terms. Generally, when someone uses the generic term, "religion" in place of the more accurate term "Christianity", it is because they don't understand the difference. Someone who doesn't know the difference is usually not a Christian.

I am offended when someone who claims to be a Christian defends the efforts of those who seek to eradicate Christianity and the free exercise thereof from America under the guise of protecting free speech.

Common sense tells us that our right to free speech ends when that same right infringes on the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness of others, for instance, the oft stated example of shouting "fire" in a crowded theatre when there is no fire.

That is essentially what happens when the government is allowed to strip Christians of their right to freely exercise their religion.

Conversely, the same can arguably be said about those who would thrust their beliefs upon others. Therefore, the Christian must be mindful of where the proverbial line is drawn, and try to avoid crossing.

What these "free speech" advocates don't understand, in my opinion, is that Christians are mandated by God Himself to "Go into all the world, and preach the gospel".

Those who seek to prevent Christians from carrying out that mandate are denying us the 1st amendment right to the free exercise of religion. And at the same time they are seeking to deny us our right to free speech. Jesus did not tell us to preach the gospel everywhere except where the government says we can't. He said "All the world".

That includes government buildings.

Christians are taught that God is the ultimate authority, an authority that even overrides the government.

At this point, someone will invariably bring up the admonition, "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's..." I don't have a good answer for that, but I know that Jesus didn't mean they shouldn't preach the gospel just because Rome didn't want them to. Even a cursory examination of the New Testament shows the early Christians defying Rome in order to spread the faith.

So when the ACLU or anyone else says I can't worship as I see fit in any place I see fit, they abridge my right to free exercise of my religion.

And, the way I see it, my right to free speech as well.

I understand the dilemma that it places upon the government. By adhering to the first amendment without regard to any particular group or religion (in the true sense of the word), government violates the very rights they seek to protect.

There are Christian organizations that are actively defending their right to exercise their religion according to their understanding of the first amendment. There are, likewise, non-Christian organizations that are actively seeking to take that right away according to their understanding of the first amendment.

So what should be the tie breaker?

My opinion is that government should seek to understand that Christians are under a higher authority, and because that is a major tenet of their faith, any attempt to abridge their right to the free exercise of that religion is unconstitutional.

After all, Christians don't tie anyone down and force them to listen to us. Anyone who is offended by the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ, is always free to move themselves out of earshot, and if the Christian who is doing the offending attempts to follow that person, for the purpose of annoying,then the Christian is indeed violating the first amendment.

I believe that Christians should defend their right to practice their religion. We are taught to "turn the other cheek" but that doesn't mean we are supposed to be doormats for any person or group who attempts to shove conflicting ideas down our throats.

No one is saying that the government has the right to tell anyone that they have to worship any religion. We are simply saying the governemnet doesn't have the right to tell us we can't.

As the great Irish philosopher Edmund Burke put it, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

I do not intend to do nothing. I will continue to speak out against injustice in defense of my right to the free exercise of my religion and my right to free speech, even within the hallowed halls of Congress up to and including the White House, if necessary.

I have that right.