Religious liberty is a treasured American value. But over the past several months, it has become a lightning rod for debate. To hear the dire warnings of conservatives, you would think that religious liberty in this country is hanging by a thread. Catholic bishops and their allies are sending alerts to dioceses across the country that say, "Act on your beliefs while you still can." The bishops are planning a national "Fortnight for Freedom" campaign from June 21 to July 4 to protest what they claim are unprecedented attacks on their religious liberty. And at a recent conference, a conservative speaker said that the government's assaults on religious freedom could effectively repeal the First Amendment.
Such claims are apocalyptic. They are also wrong. The truth is that religious liberty is alive and well in this country. Being able to worship freely, to bring your faith into the public square, and to be free of the government imposing religion on you -- these are all are hard-won achievements that should make us proud.
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