Freedom, Islamic style

I think it’s important at times to be reminded of all the liberties we have in this great country. We hear so many negative things about the U.S., drummed into our heads by the media, politicians, textbooks, intellectual elites, etc. One thing I love is our religious freedom. Compare that to this story out of Egypt as reported by Voice of the Martyrs, an organization set up to let the world know of the plight of persecuted Christians around the world.

In Egypt there is a truck driver who is a Christian. He drives into the wilderness at night to feed 42 Christian converts who sleep on cardboard mats in a small house. Many of these people are former Muslims who were part of a radical Islamic organization called the Muslim Brotherhood. They are now hunted by the police for converting to Christianity. I find that ironic--the police also search for Brotherhood members because these are deemed dangerous to the state since they advocate Islamo-fascism. But now they're hunted because the police see the converts as a new danger to the state; they owe allegiance first to God, not Egypt.

The truck driver tells how impressed he is with these outcasts. They can’t find jobs, but they are not sorry for their conversions. They devour the Bible, they ask many questions about what they read, they sing songs to Jesus.

This truck driver (no name to protect him), was caught by the police, who have a special division that focuses on Christians who talk to others about their faith. He was stripped, hung upside down, and beaten. But he says he carries his cross for Jesus with pleasure. He mentions verses that sustain him through these difficult times—Hebrews 13:13 and Revelation 12:11 in particular.

I compare that to the robust freedoms we have here. Oh sure, we get some flack from non-believers, but put that into a global perspective. People are killed around the world for their religious convictions. Moslem countries are notorious for their persecution of those differing from Islam. So much for political correctness that praises all cultures. I’ll take our freedoms over their closed-mindedness any day.

"Awesome God" and the school

This is a story from the Alliance Defense Fund, a group which seeks to preserve religious liberties in this country.

Four years ago in New Jersey an eight-year-old girl named Olivia wanted to sing her favorite song, “Awesome God,” in a school talent show. However, the teacher told her the lyrics were too religious and that, therefore, the school would not allow it. The mother spoke to the school board to support her daughter’s choice, but again the song was turned down. The Alliance Defense Fund sent a letter stating that nothing in the United States Constitution prohibits a person from expressing his/her religious faith on government property. The school rejected this letter.

The mother said to the author, "If you are a Christian -- if you're a person of faith -- you do not leave your faith at the school door. You are who you are. And you take it through every aspect of your life. And for somebody to shut you down, or tell you that you can't be the person that you are -- that's not what God created us to be." As a result, the family turned to their only remaining option, a lawsuit.

The case came before a judge on the very day of the talent show. The judge asked why Olivia could not sing the song. The attorney for the school district said that the girl was attempting to proselytize through the words of the song. The judge then asked if it was OK if the girl sang “Amazing Grace”, to which the attorney replied that it would be fine.

Things got interesting at this point. The judge began to recite the first verse of “Amazing Grace” and asked how this song was not proselytizing but the other song was. There was no response from the school’s attorney. The judge went on to recite a verse of another Christian song called “Put Your Hand in the Hand.” He asked the attorney if this song also proselytized. The attorney at this point was completely flustered. The judge concluded that, despite his personal conviction that the school’s case was unsubstantiated, he could not grant a preliminary injunction since it raised constitutional issues too complex for quick resolution. So, unfortunately, Olivia was not able to sing the song at the talent show that evening.

A year and a half later, a federal judge ruled in favor of Olivia. Just as any other child in any other American public school, she would be free to present Christian themes in a talent show. That ruling has since enabled The Alliance Defense Fund to win several other similar free-speech cases for other students around the country.

How did the New Jersey school handle the result of this decision? School officials have not allowed a talent show since the decision came down. What a shame and what stupidity.

The Alliance Defense Fund is there for all of us. Please consider reading their material or supporting them-- you can reach them at telladf.org.