Independence Day: Freedom of or from?

As I was saying... (Public Domain)

As the years go by, it's getting tougher and tougher to decipher whether Americans are celebrating freedom of or from religion.

This Fourth of July there's a debate going on that threatens to be every bit as intense as the ones that preceded the Declaration of Independence.  Luckily, this is just a war of words – at least for now.

Many who claim to be on the "freedom of" side have been welcoming the full-page newspaper ads that Hobby Lobby (an arts and crafts company) has been running since 2006.  According to Jeff Shapiro of The Christian Post, its 2013 ads feature religion-friendly quotes from "former U.S. presidents, founding fathers, a Supreme Court justice, the

Bible and other sources."  At the bottom of each ad is a hotline number "for those who 'would like to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.'"

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is attempting to respond in kind (although they certainly can't afford the widespread coverage that Hobby Lobby has been able to purchase).  The FFRF ad is titled "In Reason We Trust" (Hobby Lobby's is titled "In God We Trust").  FFRF also includes quotes from founding fathers such as George Washington.

It's a matter of pick-and-choose your quotes carefully.  FFRF chose this one from Washington:  Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause…  Hobby Lobby chose this other one from the very same Father of our Country:  It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits,  and humbly to implore His protection and favor.

Resources

http://wwrn.org/articles/40154/

Copyright July 4, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved