Invoking the history of persecution experienced by Baptists and other minority Christian groups early in America's history, Baptist Joint Committee Executive Director Brent Walker weighed in on the "ground zero mosque" controversy today. With rights, he argues, come great responsibilities:
It is often overlooked that the constitutional commitment to the no establishment and free exercise protections embodied in the First Amendment are the result of struggles for religious freedom of religious minorities against the majority. The Christian majority — composed of numerous different denominations, including many that struggled for their freedom to worship as they see fit — has the responsibility to ensure that freedom exists for all. That responsibility means more than supporting good laws. It also means making sure the rights exist in practice.
That is why the Baptist Joint Committee worked with a broad coalition of other religious and civil liberties groups to pass laws that ensure that the free exercise rights for all were treated without discrimination. Federal statutes, such as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, were passed in recognition of the need to ensure that all religious groups be treated the same — including how they use private property — despite religious differences with their neighbors.
Read the whole thing.
