Trump's Finest Hour

“‘That’s very sad, in many ways.’ That’s the President speaking to world leaders at the United Nations’ first ever summit on international religious liberty. He was shocked to learn it was the UN’s first-ever such event. ‘The United States,’ he explained, ‘is founded on the principle that our rights do not come from government; they come from God. This immortal truth is proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence. Our Founders understood that no right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous, and virtuous society than the right to follow one’s religious convictions.’ We can be grateful that an American President had the courage to say this not only to the many brutal regimes represented in the UN assembly hall. But also to Americans who believe our rights come from the government. Or the majority of voters. And who think, if we lose religious liberty, is it really a big deal? Yeah, it is. Religious liberty is about the ability to live-out one’s faith in the day-to-day. It involves not just private but also public actions and speech. From it flow the rights of assembly, speech, and press, to keep and bear arms, and so forth.  Our duty to our Creator outweighs duty to anyone else, including the state. Our obligation is not just to worship Him on occasion, but to live and speak as He commands all day, every day. If our main duty isn’t to Him, then what is it to? The government? That’s a terrifying thought. In our country, a growing number of Americans have been penalized for refusing to surrender their faith. Consider Baronelle Stutzman, an elderly Christian grandmother who runs a florist shop in rural Washington State. Several years ago, she refused to create floral arrangements to celebrate the wedding of two men. Since then, the state of Washington and the ACLU have brought her to court several times. The Alliance Defending Freedom has now petitioned the Supreme Court to hear her case.  This is but one example of many. Cakebakers and pharmacists, professors and sheriffs, even nurses, all attacked because they will not bend the knee to the Baal of a hostile culture. Thankfully, unlike his predecessor, Trump has defended domestic religious liberty strongly.”

“Trump’s Finest Hour,” The Stream, Sept. 26, 2019

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