Running through the "God in America" episode from last night was the sense that an overarching narrative drove the American experiment in religious liberty from the beginning, one that identifies always with the captive, with the oppressed, with those who struggle to be free. One of the experts featured prominently in the series – Stephen Prothero – expressed this beautifully near the end of last night's show, attempting to explain America's attitudes about integrating Catholic immigrants in the early 19th Century (my rough transcript):
And so if you ask: "Why do we persecute Catholics and then why do we stop?" it's because we have this idea of freedom in our heads from the beginning, and we have this story about a people who are enslaved – which is wrong – who move through the power of God and their own efforts to freedom – which is right. That story is always working on us, and even when we are doing things that are persecutory and that are immoral and that are enslaving other people, that story is operating on us as we are doing it. and I think gradually we hear the story and we hear the voice that says "stop."
We can certainly hope this is true can't we? I believe it is, but also believe that we must keep telling the story if it is to remain alive – if freedom of conscience and of religion is to remain a central, honored, defining American value. America will hear the story – that much is surely true – but only if it is told with persistence, conviction and assurance.
Watch PBS tonight – or watch online – for episode 2 and join in the conversation! Which segment most speaks to you?
