A&E Editor
@KaleyKayPatt
“In God We Trust” is the founding mantra of America. The saying is soothing when under persecution, defiant when on guard and victorious when we are righteous – but do Americans believe what they say?
Of course some do, but not all. America was built on religious freedom. In grade school we learned that the pilgrims moved to the new land to escape the British tyranny of the Catholic church even though it took decades and a couple of wars to fully free themselves of their chains to the throne. But religious freedom is a war still being fought around the world and in America still.
Recently, a number of Christians were either taken captive or murdered by ISIS troops in Syria. Right now a German anti-Islam group is holding rallies across the UK seeking to stop Muslims from “taking-over” Britain. America, the great melting pot of religions, still shows discontent to religions other than Christianity.
I grew up in southern Oklahoma and have only sat in pews of churches that were a part of the Baptist General Convention. I’m not partial to any Baptist church, but around these parts of the country, those churches are the most popular and well known.
But I have friends who have different affiliations than me, and I have friends who don’t have any religion. Do I hate them for their beliefs or non beliefs? No, I don’t. I dare say that makes me love them even more.
When Jesus walked the Earth, He talked to, shared and dined with those who were seen as unclean, those who believed different and those who believed the same. He spread His Father’s love to everyone He came in contact with and did not discriminate. But He was put to death for preaching what He believed – in God He trusted. The fight for religious freedom has been around for longer than the human mind can wrap itself around.
I sleep soundly next to my night stand with a Bible in the drawer. I don’t have to worry about someone coming in and raiding through my things to find it and kill me because of my possession. I can walk down to the park and read my Bible without looking over my shoulder. I can play praise and worship music in my room or in my car without caring who hears. I can tell someone my beliefs with fear of rejection, but not of death.
But a Muslim woman in America cannot walk down the street, through the mall or around the grocery store without someone staring at her hijab. A Hindu woman cannot do the same without a gaze at her bindi or sari. Even a Mormon woman receives glances for her long skirt and hair. Religious persecution may not be as violent in America as it is across the water, but it is still prominent.
On Feb. 26, The Washington Post published an article that looked at the different religions in each state all within 22 maps. The article described America as having a broad and ongoing cultural shift. The research was conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute and claims with its 50,000 surveys issued each year that they can track America’s cultural change during this pivotal time in the nation’s history.
Even though Christianity is the majority religion in the country, the PRRI found that white Christians are a minority in 19 states – a trend they say will most likely continue. The PRRI also found that seniors are three times more likely to claim a religion than young Americans.
Why would young people be afraid to claim a religion when they live in a country that was established on religious freedom? What has changed in the United States over the decades that would cause fear in claiming religion?
The times are changing, but religious persecution is nothing new. Americans have said “In God We Trust” since they came out of the womb. Students say “one nation, under God” in the pledge of allegiance without even thinking about it. Americans need to find a way to discuss religious freedom without complacency and with open minds – something our founders strived for long ago.