By Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins

In July of 1776, our nation declared its independence from an empire; therefore, each July, we think of liberty. One of the liberties we have traditionally treasured is freedom of, and from, religion. 

From Native American Shamanism to Catholics seeking freedom from Protestant persecution, from Quakers seeking freedom to practice their courageous pacifism to Jewish people fleeing persecution and pogroms in Eastern Europe, from “new religions” such as Christian Science and Latter Day Saints (Mormons) to the birth of Pentecostalism, from Eastern gurus coming to the United States to teach meditation and reincarnation to the beginning of the predominantly LBGTQ Metropolitan Community Churches, our nation has been a place where religion has flourished and religious people have been able to form strong communities.  

This heritage of religious freedom is one that we should honor; but, for a few years now, we have been hearing about religious freedom in a different context. The term isn’t used as much recently to describe our freedom to be religiously diverse, to worship at home or synagogue, church or coven, mosque or shrine, but rather, “religious freedom” is often used as an excuse to limit civil liberties. As long as one claims one’s prejudice against another group is a religious value, then he or she, according to the flawed argument, should be able to use business or even government to deny members of that group service. 

Those who weaponize religion against the LGBTQ+ community aren’t celebrating religious freedom; they are insisting that their prejudices be considered religious devotion, and that their religious views trump all other convictions, social institutions, and public contracts. They don’t want religious freedom, they want the power to deny freedom and equality to others and they want religion to be the unquestioned authority that gives them the power to do so. Religion at its best will resist such oppressive tendencies.