I’m cheering for my Pagan sisters and brothers who are demonstrating on this Fourth of July for the right to have a Pagan chaplain in the military. Our constitution, which they have volunteered to defend, grants us the freedom of religion. That doesn’t mean “freedom of any religion we approve of but not those that make us uncomfortable or that we’ve never heard of.” It means freedom to follow the calling of one’s own faith and conscience.
The framers of that First Amendment insisted on its inclusion because they knew well that as soon as any one religion becomes the One Official Religion, everybody else’s faith is vulnerable to persecution. Christians, especially, should remember that the Pilgrims themselves were fleeing persecution by other Christians who didn’t like their particular brand of the faith. Supporting a Pagan’s right to freedom of worship is one of the best things Christians can do to safeguard their own freedom. So thanks to all of you who are taking a stand today.
Would I vote for a Pagan? Of course, if I thought she or he was the best person for the job, and best represented my positions on the issues. I am a Pagan, but I would hope that anyone would apply the same test, just as I have and would welcome the chance to vote for a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Hindu, an atheist, a secular humanist, a member of an indigenous tradition or a Zoroastrian who would serve the values I believe in with honesty, courage, compassion and integrity.
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