LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY roseross)

Thought I'd share my essay here, too. Not big news or anything -- just participating in the Blog Against Theocracy project for July 1-4.
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America's Religious Heritage: Freedom


My mother's ancestor, Hans Herr, left Europe in the early 1700s because none of the churches there were strict enough for him. He felt it was proper to wear simple clothing, to work hard at good and honest crafts, and to focus on different life goals than were common to the wider culture around him. His family and he were Mennonites, which meant they were not members of a state-approved Christian denomination; their peers saw them as part of a radical and eccentric cult.

When they came to America, they found the freedom they wanted. The government had no power to restrict their religious beliefs and daily customs. They settled in Pennsylvania and many of their descendants remain within a few miles today, still following the path to God they feel is best for them. The only reason they can do this is the first right in our Bill of Rights: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

I value that right deeply. As it happens, I have followed my family's tradition of unorthodoxy. Though I am not Mennonite, my own religious beliefs are not mainstream. My fellow Christians with a more conventional outlook will sometimes say: "You're not a Christian." Since we live in the United States, they are welcome to think that, if they like. Their statement is nothing more than an expression of opinion. I don't have to be afraid for my life when someone says that. I don't have to hide my beliefs so no one will know they are unorthodox. Imagine if I lived in a theocracy, instead.

A theocracy is the most oppressive and stagnant form of government known to man. Because its laws purport to be absolute and God-given, they cannot be argued, debated, revised, or overturned. Political debate is not seen as healthy discussion of differing viewpoints but as a danger to the well-being of the entire culture. Variations are not allowed because individuality that does not conform is seen as an offense to God. In a theocracy, I would have to be seen to worship in the way the State decreed, whether I felt that was right or not. If I rebelled or even just expressed my frustration to the wrong person, I could be lawfully flogged, killed, or exiled for being the worst of all criminals: a heretic.

A far cry from the wondrous and fertile diversity this nation embraces as its ideal. Yet though it has stood for centuries, we must never take this precious right for granted. Freedom is always hard won and hard kept.

Say it loud and say it often: "This is not a Christian nation -- it is free nation." It is that freedom which drew many of our ancestors here. It is that freedom which allows us each to follow God, or not, as our own spirit calls us to do. We must treasure that ideal, keep it alive, and pass it to generations to come. No politician can be allowed to legislate our worship. No law can be tolerated that endorses one faith over another. Because we are Americans. Because we are free.


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Blog Against Theocracy