It’s none of their business

Richard A. Sokerka

Our religious freedom in this nation is firmly rooted in the First Amendment.

Yet, some elected officials continually try to throw dirt on our religious freedom in an attempt to bury it, once and for all, in our increasingly progressive secular society.

We witnessed it recently during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s review of Brian Buescher, a Knight of Columbus, for a judgeship on the U.S. District Court as two Democrat Senators Mazie Hirono and Kamala Harris, questioned Buescher’s membership in the Knights of Columbus. They accused this fraternal organization of having “taken a number of extreme positions.”

Just what were these “extreme positions”? That marriage is the union of one man and one woman and that abortion is the taking of the life of an innocent human being in the womb.

Earlier, another Democrat Senator, Dianne Feinstein, had challenged the qualifications of Amy Barrett for a judgeship on the 7th Circuit. To Barrett, who is a practicing Catholic, Feinstein said, “In your case, the dogma lives loudly within you” a clear broadside to Barrett’s faith and belief in the teachings of the Church as disqualifying her for the post.

These egregious attacks on religious freedom were addressed in January by the U.S. Senate which unanimously passed a resolution that such questioning of one’s faith as a qualification for office violates the Constitution of the United States.

The dismissal of Christian values and beliefs reached another level in San Antonio last month when the city council voted “to exclude Chick-fil-A from the list of concessionaires that could operate at San Antonio Airport because the company is known for its support of traditional marriage.”

Really? Now elected officials think they have a right to exclude a business because of their perceived opinion of that company?

Crazier yet, supporters of the city council vote also criticized Chick-fil-A for being closed on Sundays so employees can worship.

This is not the first time Chick-fil-A has been targeted by elected officials. The Buffalo-Niagara Airport decided not to go through with plans to add a Chick-fil-A location to its food court. News reports said this came after a New York state lawmaker raised concerns over the company’s charitable giving to “conservative” organizations such as the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

So, if a company chooses to make a donation to what elected officials deem is a “conservative” (a.k.a. Christian) group they are disqualified from doing business in that city?

These actions increasingly show government officials deciding what values and beliefs can be held by its citizenry and businesses. But it is none of their business.

It’s time for people of good will to stand up to these elected officials’ anti-Christian attitudes in their governing that degrade our religious freedom. A good place for Christians to do that is in the voting booth.