Freedom is stamped so deeply on the American psyche in part because our earliest settlers came here looking for somewhere they could truly be free.
Free to own land and earn a living without being beholden to some wealthy landowner? Sure, that was part of it, but hardly the entire reason.
Many came explicitly in hopes of being free to worship Jesus according to the dictates of their conscience and not the dictates of a king.
Today, we take such an idea for granted, but forget that there was a time when the Monarch dictated what the national religion should be, how we should practice it, and who could be ordained as a religious leader.
We rattle off what we think we know about Separation of Church and State without realizing that while FEDERAL government never endorsed one Christian denomination over another, the States were free to do so, and many DID endorse an official State Denomination.
Look up the word ‘antidisestablishmentarianism’ if you’re interested in how we wrestled with that question through our history, arriving at where we are now.
It’s easy to forget that not every place in the world shares our view of religious tolerance. Even our own most militant atheists (while probably admiring the practice) stop short of what China is doing to religious belief there:
https://twitter.com/liftdupbyangels/status/1199686240381100032
We often speak of China’s oppressed Uighurs, and we should, since even Pompeo agreed that the figure of One Million wrongfully detained is probably accurate.
But we must also remember China’s oppressed Christians.
Multiple house church venues demolished within one day
On July 7, about 200 personnel from several government departments, including the Public Security Bureau and Religious Affairs Bureau in Fugong county of Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in the southwestern province of Yunnan, carried out a series of raids targeting house churches. Three groups were formed, and to prevent any information leaks, all participants had their cellphones confiscated.One of the groups forcibly demolished four house church meeting venues in four villages under the county’s jurisdiction, officials claiming that because they refuse to join the official church, they are illegal. A local believer revealed to Bitter Winter that house church venues in other villages of the county were also demolished.
Source: BitterWinter
If you are to have a Church at all, it must be according to THE COMMUNIST STATE’s rules.
As you gather with your family for turkey and football, remember that even if we often take it for granted, we have much to be grateful for here in America.
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