When Freedoms Hang: Hinge Points

Too often, we, as Americans, frame our rights backward. The Constitution and Bill of Rights exist to protect the God-given rights and freedoms we enjoy.

This year we experienced gross violations of liberty, sweeping governmental mandates (often lacking common sense and good judgment), and became victims of information operation campaigns.

How do information operations, government mandates, religious freedom, and media intertwine?

Read on.

Global Awakening: Life Altered

The global pandemic of Covid19 altered life as food and other necessities became scarce. Economies crashed, people lost work, business, homes, and other life essentials. Schools were forced online altering education. The losses collectively and individually are profound.

Covid19 alerted domestic and foreign leaders to supply chain limitations, dependence on foreign nations for essential supplies such as medical and pharmaceuticals, and deficiencies in health care systems. The pandemic also alerted citizens of the United States to the broad and sweeping attacks on their freedoms of religion, speech, and assembly. The borders between personal liberty, constitutional rights, and governmental authority continue to be breached.

Information Weaponized

What are we, as Americans, doing to protect our God-given and constitutionally protected liberties? Should we not fight for the right to have a truthful press? Is it too late to restore trustworthy journalism and media reporting?

How can one turn on a news station and hear intensely biased propagation of material and flip to another channel only to discover the opposing view? Indeed, the truth likely exists somewhere between the polarized and highly inflammatory presentations. Too often, media presents as entertainment (and ought to be consumed as such) designed to elicit emotions and drive behavior. These sensational presentations demonstrate intensely myopic understandings of the complex systems and people of the world.

Freedom of speech has been hijacked and weaponized; calls for mobilization to violence have become normal. Speech is restricted by censorship or promoted through algorithms. Getting lost down a rabbit hole or finding commonality in echo chambers can lead one to believe they know truth. However, what is truth? Does the frequency of repetition, repeats, likes, and retweets demonstrate validity? How can one know truthful speech?

We all know someone who loves to oppose, detract, and counter every word we speak or write. Recognizing the weight we place on personal opinions, can we understand how "others" value theirs? The information warfare theatre is not confined to the internet, although it operates with little regulation or oversight and is the weapon of choice for the 21st century. One must carefully consider source material and learn to discern and evaluate for bias. Often information is compared to knowledge associated with one's spiritual or religious beliefs. With 84% of the world's population subscribing to a major world religion, the influence must be considered (Sherwood, 2018).

When business (and life) as usual is no longer following the ordinary course, what is to be done? Prominent American businessman, Robert D. Hales, advised: “when you cannot do what you've always done, then you only do what matters most."

Perhaps priorities changed during 2020, as we concentrated on the things and people that mattered most.

A Mighty Fortress: Religious Freedom

The basic human need for persons to meet and gather in their religious communities is found across the worship spectrum. Whether one belongs to a Christian faith, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, or other, faith traditions all designate sacred spaces to gather and worship. Gathering is central to religion, and the right to assemble penetrates the heart of religious freedom.

Extraordinary restrictions on religion were implemented in early 2020. Many Western nations' broad, expansive sweeps resulted in the banning of communal worship and halted religious freedom for many. Celebrations of Easter, Passover, Ramadan, and other holy days were disrupted and canceled. Recognizing the necessity of government to protect public health and safety is one thing – to move outside the scope of authority granted by God, manifested as the Constitution and Bill of Rights is another.

The speed, intensity, and expanse of power wielded by many governments and officials to prohibit and prevent fundamental elements of religious adherence are staggering. For the first time in American history, this generation relates to the Founding Fathers, having experienced government directly prohibit the exercise of religious freedom.

Freedom of worship, the right to assemble, and the right to believe how, where, and what one chooses were threatened before. Historically, government and mob have combined, working in concert to rid the county and country of God-fearing, worshipful people. Religious historical events from my faith tradition reveal an expulsion order or "extermination" (Missouri State Archives, n.d.). Through the intertwining of fear, popular oft-repeated (though false) narratives, and political abuse of power, an entire community of faith-filled believers in Christ became targets of inhumanity, extreme violence, and even death.

Balancing Precariously

The system of checks and balances designed and implemented in the American government framework is divinely inspired. Governments must never be permitted to wield unlimited powers. The Declaration of Independence (U.S., 1776) declares government derives "just powers from the consent of the governed." Americans must surely recognize and assert their God-given rights to exercise free will and act accordingly.

Secularists and detractors of religious freedom fail to understand how religious freedom protects nations, communities, families, and individuals - ensuring their right to self-govern. One has the right to think, believe, and act on the principles one believes to be true, whether religious or not. Once again, the focus of agency and accountability for one's actions is divinely directed and Constitutionally protected! Our collective liberties – mine and yours – hinge on recognition of said rights and the enforcement thereof.

The rights of speaking freely, utilizing free press, peacefully gathering with others, and petitioning a government to redress grievances are all intricately woven in the "just and holy principles" forming the foundation of the Constitution of the United States. Religious freedom stands as a fortress between unlimited governmental powers and personal liberty. The fragility of religious freedom was witnessed from coast to coast during 2020. Other societal interests declared essentials relating to animals, alcohol, and marijuana superseded Americans' liberty to gather and worship. Scientists, professionals, practitioners, and other stakeholders are now beginning to recognize the severe mental, emotional, and social repercussions of governmental disregard to protect spiritual health.

As in every good society and family, moderation exists. Recognizing and defending religious freedom should be treated equally with secular activities. Safe conditions exist for human activities in all their variety, whether visiting a doctor, caregiver, lawyer, store, or friend. It is unfathomable that religious clergy were denied the right to heal, serve sick souls, and administer religious rites when the risk of infection was equal.

Consider the impact should this pattern continue.

Let us not surrender by default our God-given, constitutionally protected freedom!

References

Missouri State Archives. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/mormon.asp#:~:text=Old%20Settler%20mobs%20and%20Mormon,%E2%80%9Cexterminated%2C%E2%80%9D%20if%20necessary.

Sherwood, H. (2018, Aug 27). Religion: Why faith is becoming more and more popular. The Guardian.

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