Being Persecuted

"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable.”

Matthew 5:11 (The Message)

Let me begin by saying two things that have nothing to do with the topic for this Musing. First, thank you for reading my Musings each week. I really feel humbled by the fact that you want to read what I have to say. And second, this Musing is a bit long so I apologies for that up front. So on to the topic at hand.

Unless you’ve been hiding or not paying attention Pope Francis is in the USA for a visit. I have come to respect this Pope as he tries to walk a fine line between the traditional doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church and his believes that we need to care for our planet and for the poor and powerless and have compassion for those caught-up in divorce and offering absolution to those who have had abortions. But I am still waiting for him to speak “ex cathedra” on these issues. That is "from the chair" of his official seat as Bishop of Rome. This phrase refers to binding and infallible papal teachings which are promulgated by the pope when he officially teaches in his capacity of the universal shepherd of the Church a doctrine on a matter of faith or morals and addresses

it to the entire world. So I am watching and waiting, liking some of what I am hearing but 

realizing that much like the US President, the Pope can say a lot of things and what he says 

carries weight but in the end others have to agree and be willing to implement what they want 

in order for real change to come.

But something he said at the White House troubles me. This is from an online CNN story:

{Pope Francis} said that it was right that society was "tolerant and inclusive" but warned that American Catholics were "concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their right to religious liberty. That freedom remains one of America's most precious possessions."

What concerns me is that this sounds a lot like someone speaking about having their rights violated and could be construed to mean they are being persecuted for their beliefs. This is the language of the religious right and of many Republican candidates for President. They are seeing the recent Supreme Court decision concerning the right to marriage for all consenting adults and the Affordable Care Act requirement for funding of birth control and abortions as cases of persecution. This is the way Ms. Davis, the county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to homosexual couples, describes her plight, as persecution.

I cannot keep silent about this, persecution, really? Let’s remember a few things. First off we are not a Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Wicca, Islamic or other religion nation. We are a civil society that does not recognize any religion as official for our nation and its people. This means everyone is free to worship and believe whatever they want. This leads me to my number two, because of our religious freedom we who are people of faith have to constantly assess situations and circumstances and decide for ourselves how we will observe, obey, ignore or violate the rules and laws of our secular society. If an elected official cannot fulfill the legal requirements of the job they have been elected to because of their faith then they are obliged to resign. It isn’t persecution to require them to do their job.

Likewise with the Affordable Care Act; corporations are not individuals and a company cannot have religious beliefs. It can be owned and operated by people who have religious beliefs but as a company these beliefs are not germane to whether or not the company complies with the law of the land. They can offer alternative plans, they can advocate for changing the law, they can protest what they are being required to do but in the end, their religious beliefs do not have any sway in whether or not a company has to comply with the law. This is not religious persecution; it is the price of religious freedom and a government that is free from religious controls.

If you want to know what persecution is read the stories about what is happening in ISIS controlled areas of the Middle East. Look at the stories from Pakistan. Talk to those who objected to war on religious grounds. Check out the history of our world and see all the times and places people have been truly persecuted for their religious beliefs (Druids and Jews in Europe, Christians under Rome, Native peoples in the US, Australia, Central and South America, peoples of Africa, etc). I do not think that an elected official who is told to do the job she was elected to do even if it violates her religious beliefs is persecution because she has options, she has other opportunities and her life isn’t at stake.

To those who think that the erosion of “Christian values” in American society and the laws that are being enacted that seem to violate these beliefs is persecution I say, “Welcome to what this nation was meant to be.” It seems that we are trying to find a way to be that civil society that is not controlled by any one religion or belief system. Christianity is not now nor has it ever been the religion of the United States of America. It has been the dominate religion and as such has held tremendous power and sway in our nation but as we become more diverse and more secular its domination is fading and being replaced by a more open, free and divergent understanding of what is right and true and just for a civil society. Just look at what the latest Pew Research polling shows:

The simple truth of the matter is that Roman Catholics, evangelical Protestants, and other Christians are not being persecuted for their beliefs. They simply are experiencing the shift of our nation from Christocentric to pluralistic and not liking that shift very much. This isn’t persecution, it’s change.

Dear God, thank you for this nation. Thank you for Pope Francis and his witness. I pray for those people everywhere who are being persecuted because of their faith. Help me to find my way faithful around this nation as we give up our past ways and search for ways forward. Amen.