I have a great deal of respect for religious freedom, and the rights of people to form their own beliefs. However, I have found that religious freedom in American is often infused with religious bigoty.
I am against religious bigotry. Where people start thinking that one religion is better than the others. I am Sunni, so the Shia are wrong. I am Muslim, so the Sufi have lost their way. I am Jewish, so I am one of the chosen people. I hear you’re an atheist, so I’ll pray for your soul. I am Christian, so I am the best person to run your government and teach your children.
Throughout the past century, Native American children were regularly taken from their families and communities and sent to ‘Good Christian Schools,” where they were punished for speaking their own language, and in some cases, told to keep scrubbing themselves until they washed that dark color from their skin.
I have a problem with that. I have a problem with religious bigotry.
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You can reach Lynn Marie Sager at
DearNavigator@gmail.com
Author, Navigating Life Through Turbulent Tides
Teaching Logic in a Whackadoodle World
A River Worth Riding: Fourteen Rules for Navigating Life
Finding Sense in a Whackadoodle World