The Alliance Defending Freedom is a misnomer. This organization fails to realize that their primary goal is to emphasize Christian Nationalism. In and of itself, that’s not necessarily a bad thing… I mean there are a number of PAC’s (Political Action Committees) who are grossly misguided, why should Christian Nationalists be any different? I just think you should label yourself according to your actions and actual motivations. Don’t be misled, this and organizations like this are all self-interest groups attempting to block the rights of others, not defend freedoms for all Americans.
Now, before you all write me off as a heathen or an atheist, let me assure you, I am most certainly a reborn in the blood, baptized follower of Christ. I grew up in the church. I was there every time the doors were open and I was raised with the values and virtues of a saved by grace, follower of Jesus Christ.
Somewhere along the way, however, I began to see that inspite of our faith, there seems to be a great deal of contradiction in our actions. Mark 12:31 states, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We’re really good about that in theory, not so much in practice, I think.
If we believe, as is taught, that the old testament was all about prophecy and paving the way for our Savior, Jesus Christ; and the new testament was about the fulfillment of prophesy and opening the gates of heaven for all believers, then somewhere in their theologies… these groups exhibit a callous and tunnel visioned flaw that cannot be ignored.
In Matthew 5:17, Jesus clarifies this by saying that he has not come to abolish the law, but to fullfill it. The basis of the idea of fulfillment is completion. Therefore, it is important to know the God of the old testament in order to completely comprehend the spectacular nature of Jesus Christ and his completion of the new World where all who believe in the death, burial and resurrection can and will be saved.
That said, I personally abhor organizations who claim that they are about religious freedom, when in truth they exist for the sole purpose of indoctrination and lobbying for one universal national religion. The division of church and state is essential in a free society, like it or not. Don’t confuse secular with sacred. Government is a secular idea that can apply to all universally, however, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ should always remain sacred. Contrary to popular belief we are a nation founded on religious freedom, not Christian faith and values. Additionally, the creator himself gave us a free will in order that we might choose him. There is little glory in having followers who are forced or coerced into submission be that by a secular government or a lobbying PAC organization determined to force their beliefs and expectations on the masses.
God doesn’t want or expect to be endorced by the US Government, and therefore crossing those lines and politicizing faith is misguided at best.
I simply ask that we all consider how we might feel, or react if a PAC with the backing of this and other Christian Nationalist Organizations was threatening our rights to religious freedom by pushing the values and beliefs of a non-Christian religion onto us. I feel quite certain we would feel marginalized, belittled, attacked, and persecuted.
This is exactly what this organization is doing to other members of our society who for one reason or another are non-believers. While they claim to be fighting to defend Americans personal rights, they are, in fact, targeting the rights of others to do so.
A few examples- The Christian faith endorses a one man one woman model of marriage. Cool, if you don’t approve of anything outside of this model, you don’t have to participate. Most same-sex couples have been hurt and persecuted by the church so much that that’s the last place they want to begin their union, anyway. Therefore Conservative Christians shouldn’t worry themselves with the secular rights that same-sex couples choose to exercise in a courthouse, which allows them other secular rights such as healthcare coverage and next-of-kin recognition. These are basic needs that attacking only attempts to strip from these fellow Americans. Their marriage has no effect on you. GET OVER IT.
Next, let’s take a look at the abortion laws being pushed in Texas as of late. One bill, filed by Bryan Slaton, attempts to criminalize abortion leaving women who receive one with the possibility of facing the death penalty. But there seems to be no penalty conditions that impact the father of said fetus. Additionally, it is a generalized bill that does not account for women who were victims of rape or incest. I might be wrong, but I think we can all see the issues with such an extreme over reach of the government. In the event I am wrong, allow me to postulate a platitude. A young girl, maybe 15, walking home from school, gets abducted and savagely raped in an alleyway that results in conception. Now on top of dealing with this trauma, she would be forced by this law (if it were ever to pass), to carry the additional burden of nine months of a pregnancy she never asked for, in order to elude a possible death sentence. Sure, the child could be given up for adoption, but is that overwhelming nine month burden really necessary? Imagine the implications on suicidal thoughts when hormones and emotions are at their peak.
I think a friend of mine put it best, recently. She pointed out how up in arms that Conservative Christians got about the baker that refused to prepare a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. How they cried, “Her business, her choice!”. Then a year or so down the road, COVID-19 becomes a world crisis, and those same folks howled about being forced by businesses to wear masks in stores. Excuse me, what happened to “their business, their choice?”
We have to recognize that there is a difference between defending the faith and attacking those who belive differently than us. Essentially, free will equates to liberty. Less really is more. The less regulation on rights, the greater the freedoms we celebrate.
Believe and practice how you choose, raise your children with the values and virtues that you want to see them embrace. Proverbs 22:6- “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Do not deprive us of our free will as it cheapens the value of choosing Christ as Savior.
The moral of the story is that there is a definite difference between defending freedoms and pushing for the removal of the freedoms from others. Love your neighbor as yourself. Our belief system does not rely on everyone being forced into submission by government control. Christian Nationalism is toxic and erodes the foundation of free will. It is as simple as that. Oh, by the way, Jesus was Jewish… not white European American.
