When Freedom of Religion has Unintended Consequences

Reflections on the Republican National Convention

For those of you who watched the RNC last week, what an amazing event! Less than one week after an assassination attempt on his life, President Trump declared from the stage that it is only by the grace of the Almighty God that he is standing before us now. The change in his demeanor as a result of the Lord’s miraculous protection was evident to those watching.

Many speakers at the convention and pillars of the Republican Party share our faith in Jesus Christ and understand that only the Lord can heal our land, as prescribed in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

But not all.

According to the World View publication, “Bible-believing Christians were understandably irate that a pagan prayer was part of the opening night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this week.

Republican attorney Harmeet Dhillon of San Francisco, California chanted a prayer to Waheguru, the god of Sikhism, an Indian religion founded in the 15th century.”

I would like to share my thoughts regarding this with you. But first, I want to be clear: Did I like the fact that a secular prayer was chanted from the RNC stage? No. Did I agree with the decision to include it as part of the convention? Not necessarily. Does it change my core belief that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Absolutely not.

However, it did make me recognize that freedom of religion, as stated in the Constitution and reflected in the Republican Party platform, means that everyone is welcome to worship or not worship however they would like.

The hope of America was never to create a new state-run religion better than the old one our founders fled from in England. It was to protect the individual’s religious rights from the government.

The irony is that the Puritans who settled here after fleeing their homeland didn’t like it, either. They didn’t want religious freedom for everyone — they wanted all to believe just like them.

And yes, I’m very grateful that the Conservative movement has done a fantastic job at incorporating Judeo-Christian values such as preserving innocent life, protecting our children from harm, rewarding hard work, respecting private property, seeking true justice, and more.

But let’s not forget that the role of a political organization is not to make converts. That’s the church’s job.

Speaking of the role of the church… I can’t help but wonder if the church as a whole would have done a better job of preaching, protecting, and preserving the natural order as God established it — the basics, such as babies are born male or female, marriage is between a man and a woman, and killing a child at any stage of gestational growth is murder — if the government would even need to be involved. We wouldn’t be looking for a political solution to restoring basic morality in our country.

And yet, here we are. So, as we wade through the last couple of months of an immensely intense election season, let’s remember that the Republican party, just like Christianity, is open to all willing to accept its core values. And conversely, that being Republican, and even Conservative, will not save your soul. Only Jesus can do that.

As much as we, as Christians, would like to have dominion over everything, including the political sphere, that’s not how it works. Our job as believers in Jesus Christ during this highly unusual time in American history is to unite on whatever common ground we can possibly find. And then, and only then, can we begin the hard work of winning over hearts and minds in the same way Jesus did — one person at a time.

Thanks for reading today. Remember to always pursue the truth — regardless of its labels.