Our precious gift of freedom of religion

When our Founding Fathers were writing the Constitution they found no issue more difficult to address than the relation of religion and state. In fact, they found it so agonizingly difficult that they were just unable to deal with this issue in the Constitution itself and had to leave it to be dealt with in the Bill of Rights. Recognizing its importance, they made it the first issue in the First Amendment, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." (The phrase "separation of church and state is not in the Constitution.)

Through the years America has struggled to maintain and protect the freedom of religion, which is the backbone of our strength and diversity. We have learned how to live together without religious mobs vandalizing and burning each other's houses of worship. When houses of worship are attacked the law is severely applied to the criminals.

While America is trying to export democracy and freedom we should insist on freedom of religion, attaching it to aid money. All over the world we see theocracies that refuse freedom to anyone who differs with them. The brutal killings and mobs crying "death to the infidels" fill our TV screens.

While I was in Afghanistan I saw the rubble of a church which had been bulldozed on government orders. Today, there are 48,000 mosques in Afghanistan but not one church in which the large expatriate community may worship. However, in America we see thousands of mosques.

Around the world no country which has denied freedom of religion to others has prospered. America has learned how to make freedom of religion work. This could be our greatest and most valuable gift to the world.

Priscilla Weese

Wheaton