WHAT THE RELIGIOUS RIGHT GETS RIGHT: THEY HAVE LEGITIMATE CONCERNS, EVEN IF CLAIMS OF PERSECUTION ARE EXAGGERATED

https://www.newsweek.com/religious-right-christian-persecution-same-sex-marriage-freedom-exaggerated-1434800

But it’s important to understand that traditional American Christians are not hallucinating when they express concerns about their own religious status and rights.

Look at it through their eyes.

Religious motivations are denigrated. After the passage of Alabama’s anti-abortion law, some progressives claimed that it was a violation of the separation of church and state because the sponsors had religious motivations. “One of the tenets of our democracy is that we have a separation of church and state, and under no circumstances are we supposed to be imposing our faith on other people,” said Kirsten Gillibrand. “And I think this is an example of that effort.”

Think about the logic. It means that public policy positions that are driven by religion are off the table while stances driven by secular reasons are legitimate. It would be like saying that Democrats could oppose the Iraq war for practical reasons but not for moral/religious reasons. That subordinates and minimizes religious teaching and motivation.

Religious institutions get second class status. Again, religion is mostly quite privileged in America. But not always. Sometimes, an overly rigid application of separation of church and state can lead to disadvantaging religion. For instance, a federal law allowed for financial aid loan forgiveness for people who go in to “public service” professions. But the Department of Education ruled that joining the ministry didn’t count. I can understand their impulse: they no doubt bristled at the idea of government funds going to help make people ministers. But the result was not equality but inferiority. You got loan forgiveness if you became a social worker but not minister.

Similarly, the Federal Emergency Management Agency at one point refused to provide financial support to assist churches after devastating hurricanes in Texas. And group of residents in Acton, Massachusetts, sued to block the state from using historic preservation funds to preserve old churches along with secular buildings. Religious institutions shouldn’t get preference but they also shouldn’t be subordinated.