Religious Freedom Day or Religious Erosion Day?

Let’s take a look at what President Obama said last year in his Religious Freedom Day proclamation:

It was one of the first laws in our Nation to codify the right of every person to profess their opinions in matters of faith, and it declares that “no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any” religion.

The First Amendment prohibits the Government from establishing religion. It protects the right of every person to practice their faith how they choose, to change their faith, or to practice no faith at all, and to do so free from persecution and fear. This religious freedom allows faith to flourish, and our Union is stronger because a vast array of religious communities coexist peacefully with mutual respect for one another. . . . As heirs to this proud legacy of liberty, we must remain vigilant in our efforts to safeguard these freedoms.

I call on all Americans to commemorate this day with events and activities that teach us about this critical foundation of our Nation's liberty, and that show us how we can protect it for future generations at home and around the world.

Now, it’s rather ironic that President Obama says that religious freedom is a “proud legacy” of this nation and that it is vital that all Americans protect it because the religious freedom of Christians is under attack in this nation. In a recent address Obama even said that gay “marriage” trumps religious freedom! He doesn’t really support religious freedom for everyone—he supports his own definition of freedom, one that increasingly excludes Bible-believing Christians from these protections and imposes an anti-God religion on the culture. I think the day needs to be remembered now as Religious Erosion Day!

Sadly, Christians are increasingly being punished for standing on God’s Word and living according to our beliefs based on the Bible. We’re seeing this happen over and over again—usually in regard to gay “marriage” and the sanctity of life. Christians are being forced to affirm gay “marriages,” and Christian organizations and companies are being told they better provide abortion services and medical insurance that includes abortive contraceptives and even abortion—or else! As our nation continues to turn from God’s Word we can only expect this terrible trend to continue.

As Christians, we need to be bold in standing on God’s Word, refusing to compromise with our increasingly secular culture. We need to be salt and light, spreading the message of the good news of the gospel to this world—this is what will change hearts and minds for now and eternity. Thank God for the religious freedom that we still have, though its erosion has been catastrophic, and pray that He will uphold this liberty for the next generation. We also need to thank God for the freedom that we have because of Jesus Christ. We are free from the burden of our sin and death (Romans 6:22) because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. And that is true freedom that can never be taken away by any government or legislature!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.